Twelve Days of Swanson
by xSimpleSoul
Summary: The a cappella groups of Barden University have teamed up to perform a winter concert to delight all ages, much to Beca's dismay. Beca hates cheesy duets, Christmas caroling, and, well, Jesse Swanson at the moment. She soon discovers that the holidays aren't all that bad, though, thanks to the one guy she wasn't liking so much.
1. Twelve Caroling, Complaining Bellas

Hey guys! Here's a quick fic I batched up for the holidays. I thought it'd be fun to write a holiday piece. Expect updates (hopefully) every day! I have finals this week so we'll see how this goes...

To clear up any future confusion, this (the caroling part, not the very first part) starts twelve days before Christmas. So, it's Saturday, December 14th, 2013. The winter performance will occur on December 21st, a week after. And, yes, I know that the twelve days of Christmas actually don't start until the day of Christmas, but...

Also, this fic does include some rated-M language, so if you aren't into that stuff... I don't know what to tell you. It's not too bad (it'll literally be less than ten words, maximum), but if you aren't comfortable with any swearing at all then you might want to leave now.

Disclaimer: I do not own any familiar songs, characters, locations, etc. that I mention below.

* * *

_On the twelfth day of Christmas my weirdo gave to me..._

**Twelve Caroling, Complaining Bellas**

* * *

Beca was exhausted. It was times like these where being the Bellas leader truly and utterly sucked.

Lately, Bellas rehearsals have been running extra long and have been extra exhausting. She blamed Jesse for organizing this stupid event. In order to bring more funding to the a cappella community at Barden, Jesse (now leader of the Trebles) had the brilliant idea of having the groups put on a winter performance, where he decided that the Bellas should be given the most amount of songs due to the fact that they're the current national champions. The High Notes opted out, and the BU Harmonics were able to bring two songs to the following list- Santa Baby and "All I Want For Christmas Is You", both Madonna's renditions of the popular songs. The Trebles were doing three songs, while the Bellas got stuck with five. Three songs were chosen for all the groups to sing altogether ("The Most Wonderful Day of the Year", "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", and the traditional "Jingle Bells") and even a duet. With the help of a pianist and a select few of the group members, Beca and Jesse were going to perform a duet to "Baby, It's Cold Outside", which Beca thought was the cheesiest thing on the planet. Of course, they had to include their winning number from the ICCA's, so Aubrey and Chloe came into town to practice and perform in other set lists and, thankfully, help Beca. Fortunately, they were going to get most of the earnings, which were to go for their own tour bus to travel around in. There would be singing, dancing, and even a Santa for the kids at the end of the concert to bring in younger audiences. To top it all off, Beca and the other groups had to stay in for the beginning of Christmas break, which, of course, sucked. And all of this was Jesse's fault.

After a day of solely only Bellas rehearsal, she rummages around for her dorm key card for five full minutes and, finally, she tiredly enters the room she claimed for herself. Hastily, she takes off her shoes and sighs, relieved at how comfortable it was to have them off. Her hand flies to the hair band around her wrist and wraps it around her brunette locks into a high ponytail. She kicks off her ruby red heels and pushes it aside with her aching feet, letting out another sigh at how amazing it felt with them off. She lays on the bed and closes her eyes, hoping her mind would settle down and fade into a stream of unconsciousness. After a couple minutes squirming around on her bed trying to find a comfortable position to ease her aching muscles, she groans and reaches for her phone. Immediately, her finger scrolls down her list of contact until she reaches "Weirdo"'s number. She places the phone atop her ear, with her left cheek pressed onto her pillow. After a few rings, he finally picks up, his own voice groggy. "Hello?"

"I don't like you, you know."

"I don't like you that much either; You just woke me up from a great nap…" She hears him yawn as the guilt began to sink into her skin. She frowns.

"I woke you up?"

"You did, but it's fine. Any particular reason why you're calling? Y'know, other than to tell me that you don't like me." He chuckles, making her smile.

"I can't sleep… Too sore."

"Want me to come over?"

This is why she liked Jesse; he knew that she was too stubborn to ask these kind of questions, so he asked them himself. "Please?"

"I'll bring food, if you want. How's Taco Bell?"

"Sounds good. See you in a bit."

"Can't wait."

She hangs up and finds herself unable to take the grin off her face. She can't believe he has that effect on her, and it killed her. Jesse wasn't perfect (a la coming up with the idea of having a winter performance), but sometimes she found herself amazed at how she actually almost believed he was. She'd never, ever, say that out loud. But she thought it; she thought about it a lot. It was all his fault.

He comes in a little under twenty minutes, in his pajamas, equipped with a plastic bag of tacos and his backpack slung around his shoulder. He places the food onto her desk and brushes the snowflakes out of his head with his fingers, then sits down onto her bed, where Beca was currently propped up against a mountain of pillows busily playing a game on her phone.

"No tomatoes?"

"No 'hi'? No 'thank you'? No 'hello my devastatingly handsome boyfr—'," She rolls her eyes and leans over to kiss him just to shut him up.

"No tomatoes." He confirms once they break apart, smiling goofily at her.

They eat their tacos in silence, just enjoying each others company. "So, why don't you like me?" He asks after gulping down his last bite.

She groans and lays back into her bed, then closes her eyes. "It's all your fault that I'm sore." He raises an eyebrow, causing her to roll her eyes. "We rehearsed in our costumes for the first time today. I'm going to chop off my legs and arms just so I don't have to do this stupid event." She groans again, bringing her feet to rest on his lap. Instinctively, he massages them, sending her into bliss.

"And how is that my fault?"

"You're the one who created the stupid event."

He stops massaging her to throw his hands up into the air innocently. "Whoa, whoa! I'm not in charge of your costumes! You should really be blaming Aubrey."

She scoffs, throwing a pillow at his head. "Nope, still your fault." Her eyes dart from his hands to her feet, a silent indication to Jesse that he should continue massaging her feet. He picks up on it, making her smirk triumphantly.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, it'll all be over after this weekend," He reasons with her, only getting a huff in reply, "Aren't you Christmas caroling with the girls tomorrow?"

She grunts. "Please, don't remind me."

He chuckles lightly, only earning a light smack on the shoulder. "I brought movies! Only the Christmas classics, of course. We've got all the Home Alone movies, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Santa Clause movies, The Polar Express… Ooh, even A Charlie Brown Christmas. They're all great, they'll totally take your mind off caroling tomorrow."  
She blinks, bites her lower lip, and then laughs nervously. "Actually, on second thought, I should probably get some sleep. Caroling is hard work, you know, and I should probably rest up—"

"Oh, come on Becs! The holidays aren't the holidays without Christmas classics! Charlie Brown is only twenty-five minutes long." He gives her his best puppy dog eyes and pout, only making her laugh at how ridiculous he looked. He grins, takes out his laptop, and inserts the DVD in. "We can go to sleep right after, okay?"

"Whoa there, buddy. Did I say you could sleep over?" She asks, folding her arms playfully.

"I— uh…"  
She snickers and gives the dumb boy a light peck on the lips. "You can stay… But only if you make me breakfast tomorrow. I want pancakes. None of that waffle bullshit."

His eyebrows scrunch together, and his mouth forms a quirky little half smirk. "Deal." He scoots next to her, laptop included, and wraps one arm around her shoulder, gently massaging it.

Somehow, all her aches and pains melts after being scrunched up into Jesse's side. She felt warm and safe under his touch, and she just felt so… Happy? It was so… Weird. She didn't like how all of her worries faded when he was with her, and how reliant she had become on him. Her need to be independent was slowly shrinking, and that scared the shit out of her. She didn't like it, but she was strangely okay with it. The thought of him not being there with her scared her even more, and the thought of that just made her want to run. She felt like some stupid, lovesick girl in one of his beloved movies. She didn't like that. But she liked him; she liked him a lot.  
He distractingly slides his hand down to her waist, rubbing his palm against the smooth surface of her milky skin. She closes her eyes, happy, and soon enough, she's snoring softly into his cotton tee shirt.

* * *

"Stacie, for the love of God, please pull your skirt down. There might be children there!" Aubrey snaps at the tall brunette, who looks over at Beca with an eyebrow raised. Beca shrugs apologetically, choosing not to get onto Aubrey's bad side. For once, Beca was thankful to have Aubrey take role of the leader this time. Sure, she was still controlling as ever, but it took a load of responsibility off Beca's back.

The blonde hands everyone their santa hats and fliers that encouraged people to come to the event. They all pile into the tour bus they rented for the day and pull over at hot spot number one. All twelve (which included two new Bellas, Emily and Sam, plus Chloe and Aubrey) take their appropriate places in front of the giant Macy's that Aubrey's family owned and began their numbers. They start with a preview of "Jingle Bell Rock", then work their way into a clip of "Silent Night", which attracts a crowd of cheering people who danced and swayed along to their singing. They end with the full versions of "My Favorite Things" and "Let it Snow", and then begin another round of the same songs for the next half an hour. Exhausted from singing, dancing, and handing out fliers, they collapse into the nearest café, where Beca and Chloe decide to order drinks for everyone.

"I don't think my voice will be fully recovered by the time this weekend comes around. That was exhausting," Beca says with a frown on her face, "I can't believe we agreed to actually doing this. It's taking off so much practice time for semi-finals."

The red head lays a hand assuringly on her shoulder. "You guys will be fine. After all, it was you who whipped us all into shape in just two months. Plus, it's only semi-finals, you don't have to pull out all of your best stops. Anyways, this winter performance will be totally worth it. I can't wait to see your and Jesse's duet. You guys are totally cute, the crowd will love it!" She squeals.

"This whole thing is so, ugh, it's so _cheesy_. We could've gone without the duet, the Santa, the caroling… We don't even need our own tour bus."

"You're such a downer. Where's the Christmas spirit, Beca? It'll be so much fun, you won't regret it."

A bell rings, informing them that their order was up. They carry the tray of coffee and tea to their booths, handing each individual their own order. The Bellas all murmur their thanks.

Aubrey is the first to speak up after they all take their sips of their drinks. "Alright, so we're heading to Tinker Square, then to the biggest neighborhood in Georgia, Harold Street."

"You're going to kill us, Aubrey!" Fat Amy yelps, panting at the thought of it with her tongue lolling out of her mouth.

"Yeah, we won't have a voice after today!" Cynthia-Rose complains. The whines erupt from around their tables, with Aubrey trying to reason things out with them, however to no prevail. Beca clears her throat once, enough to capture their attention. "I've decided that we're getting three days off, okay? We'll come back on Wednesday. I think we all deserve it."

"But, Beca… What are you gonna tell the other groups? We need all the rehearsal time we can get!"

"They'll have to rehearse without us. We all need to rest our voices and bodies." Except her. She still has to rehearse that duet with Jesse.

Aubrey lets out a frustrated huff, only making Beca's eyes roll. "I'm the leader here, now. Remember?" Beca snaps. She hears the controlling blonde's tongue click against the surface of her teeth, a sign that shows that she's given up.

Suddenly, Beca receives a text from Jesse that told her to go straight to the Trebles house after they were done. He asks her what she wanted him to make for dinner and that a bath will be ready for her once she gets there. She blushes at the text absentmindedly, however it goes unnoticed by Fat Amy, who takes her phone and reads it out loud. The girls give their collective round of "aww"'s around the table. She glares at Amy and tries swiping her phone back, failing when the Australian stashes it away under her boob, making Beca grimace.

"I thought it'd be something sexier from Treble boy. You know, maybe a picture of his—"

"—Amy, no."

"I can't see Jesse doing that. I mean, it doesn't seem like he's into that thing. Far too much of a goody-goody. Or is he? But thn again, I've totally been with nerds, and let me tell you, they are definitely in my top five hunter 'prey', according to type. Is Jesse one of these? Do tell, Beca." Stacie smirks deviously, making Beca groan and throw her face into her arms to hide the redness of her cheeks.

"Guys, leave Beca alone. What her and Jesse do or don't do is their business." Chloe pipes, relieving Beca. She peeks out of her cradled arms and sees Amy texting on her phone, chuckling. Her eyes wide in horror, she grabs the device from Amy's strong grasp, only to find that it was too late. Underneath the horribly inappropriate response that the blonde put together was the dreaded word 'delivered'.

"You are the worst." She glares at the girl who was devouring her muffin greedily. Amy shrugs, her eyebrows twitching to the right, where Stacie was busy filing her nails.

"They were," Fat Amy lowers her voice, "her words, not mine."

Beca scoffs. "Whatever. Are you guys almost done? Anyone up to a nap in the bus or is it just me?"

* * *

Benji welcomes her in, wearing his signature magician cape and a smile, rather than Jesse, who was too busy in the kitchen to answer himself. "Hi, Beca!"

She gives the grinning boy a warm smile. "Where's Jesse?"

She follows his pointed finger to the kitchen, her stomach growling at the aroma. Suddenly, she feels a pair of hands cover her eyes from behind her. Her first reaction was to elbow him in the gut, but she somehow refrains. "Gross, your hands are sweaty." She whines, only earning her a light hearted chuckle.

"Sorry. Dinner's not done yet so why don't you relax for a bit? I kicked out the guys for a couple hours, well except Benji. He's leaving in a couple minutes, though."  
He leads her to his room and into his bathroom, where a bath was already running for her. He uncovers her eyes and she takes in her surroundings, her eyebrows raised.

"Candles? Seriously?" He shrugs, an easy grin on his lips. "You're nauseating."

He responds by pressing his lips against hers, as she slowly raises up onto her toes to match his level. His arms wrap around her waist as her fingers find its way onto the back of his neck, holding him closer to her, deepening the kiss. After a few brief seconds, he pulls away. Beca stares at him, confused.

"The food."

She tries her best to hide her disappointment. "So I guess you won't be joining me then?"

"As much as I really, _really_, would love to, I don't want to burn the house down." He softly laughs, then gives her a quick kiss before tearing away from her, leaving her alone. She bites her lip, angry and frustrated at the effect he had on her. They haven't been together for more than seven months, and already the unbreakable Beca Mitchell's walls were unguarded. He somehow broke down her walls while they were still 'just friends', and the fact that he just kept going deeper and deeper scared her.

Once she was all cleaned up, she lets her hair air dry and finds a fresh bra and underwear from the laundry left over from the _last_ time she slept over. She digs in his drawers for sweats and a loose T-shirt, finally finding one under a thick layer of Treble merchandise. She strays out of the confines of his bedroom and into the kitchen, sneaking up next to him while he was busy decorating their plates with potatoes and chicken strips. He steadily drags the tip of the ketchup bottle to make a (somewhat messy) smiley face onto both plates. He drizzles gravy in the shape of a heart onto what she assumed was her potatoes onto her plate, and poured some into his own volcano-shaped mound of spuds.

"What in the hell are you doing, Swanson?"

He jumps, now only just realizing that she was there. He grabs the back of his neck and laughs, a sure way sign that meant he hadn't had a clue, either. She snickers and swipes a finger into the potatoes, ruining the picturesque heart drizzled gravy atop, and brings the plate to the island. He follows suit, bringing along two juice pouches to go with their five-star meal.

"I hope you like it— I actually made this myself." He boasts, puffing out his chest. She blinks slowly, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Oh? Really now?"

"Yes! Is that so hard to believe?"

She shrugs innocently, digging her fork into the food in front of her. "So what's all of this for? Is this a significant day or something? Did I miss our 200th day anniversary?" She jokes, but genuinely curious to know why he was being so generous.

"Nothing, I just felt bad, I guess."

She stops chewing. "Felt bad?"

"All these winter performances, you know. I didn't realize how much stress would be put on you."

"And you're not nearly as stressed out as I am? You're the one organizing this." She replies, giving him a wary eye.

"I am- But I knew what I was getting into—"

"And you don't think I knew what I would be getting into? That's bull." She accuses, crossing her arms over her chest tightly.

"No, no. Jesus, Beca," He runs a hand through his hair, obviously running himself into a corner, "I feel bad that you're under all this stress because of me, okay? You should be at home for the holidays, not doing something you don't care about, all the while having to control the girls and deal with Aubrey. You deserve a warm bath and a good meal, that's all."

She frowns, dampened at the thought that Jesse felt guilty for all of this and felt the need to repay her. "You don't need to do all of this, I'm fine. I can handle it. There's nothing back home, anyways. It's great being here, at least the fighting isn't as stupid and dumb as the ones my family get into every year. Even if we are singing and dancing and singing some more, and even if it is exhausting, I'm good, okay? You don't need to feel bad."

He gives her a small smile, choosing not to reply to leave her alone with her thoughts. However, after a few brief minutes, he speaks up. "So... Do you like me again? Is this dinner good?"

She breathes a sigh of relief, happy to get the awkwardness out of the way. "I don't know, Jesse. The chicken is kinda... Eh."

His fists meet the table, making the silverware clank noisily on their plates. "Bummer. I couldn't actually make what you asked for, but we can totally—"

"That was fucking Amy!"


	2. Eleven Stupid Presents

Disclaimer: I do not own any familiar songs, characters, movies, etc. that I mention below.

* * *

_On the eleventh day of Christmas my weirdo gave to me..._

(the time to wrap) **Eleven Stupid Presents**

* * *

Beca wakes up the next morning under the warmth of Jesse's skin on hers. She shivers at the coldness that shrouds her once she sits up, trying to find her previously discarded pieces of clothing off the floor. She reaches over him, finds that her arms are too short and her (well, his) shirt is too far off the bed to reach. She grunts, snakes her body over his so that her stomach folded over his torso, only having her fingers reaching within mere centimeters from the cotton tee. Frustrated, she inches forward just a little more, so that her hip bones now balanced on his torso, just when she feels herself begin to tip over, ready to faceplant off the edge of his bed. She shrieks, then is suddenly caught by hands on her feet after nearly falling on her face off the bed. Jesse, half awake, begins to pull her back. She makes a quick grab for the shirt before she's fully back on the bed and back in his arms. She squirms to put the shirt on, still cold. He grunts and pulls her closer, making it harder for her to put the damn tee over her head.

"Jess?"

"Shhhh." He whispers, bringing a finger to his lips, allowing for her to successfully get her head and an arm into the shirt.

"_Jesse_"

He opens an eye, slightly annoyed. "Yes?"

She unwraps his arms around her, takes her own arm and pushes it through the remaining hole. She buries herself back into his body, trying to gather up all the warmth that she can.

"Are you cold?"

She looks up at his sleepy face and nods. He pulls the covers over their bodies, then holds her closer.

"_Baby, it's cold outsi—_" She slaps a hand over his mouth, failing to drown out the lyrics of the dreaded song he was belting out. "Shut the fuck up."

He starts laughing at an unamused Beca. "You're not even funny. Seriously, shut up, I need to sleep. It's only 6."

His laughter dies down as she falls back asleep, still annoyed, but with a small smile on her lips.

* * *

This time, Beca wakes up shivering from the cold, wondering where the hell the blanket was. She looks over and rolls her eyes at the sleeping boy next to her, who was all wrapped up and sleeping peacefully in a cocoon of blankets. Annoyed, she tries to pull the covers off him and onto her, failing miserably as he continued to doze off. She was super cold and didn't feel like putting up with such annoyances, so she repeatedly smacked his shoulder lightly. Groaning, he finally awakens, almost as annoyed as she was.

He murmurs what sounds like gibberish to her, making her frown. "Can't you share?"

He opens one eye, noticing how he was hogging all of the blankets. "Shit, sorry Becs." He apologizes, draping several blankets over her skin. He pulls her towards him and holds onto her tightly, instantly warming her up. She looks at his sleepy face and studies it. He was growing quite a bit of stubble, which Beca may or may not like. Sure, it scratched her skin whenever she kissed him, but it also looked great on him. His eyes were closed, and he was breathing softly so that she could feel it on her face. He was still without a shirt on, so no wonder he somehow hoarded all of the blankets over the past couple hours. She pulls out her phone from under a pillow, squinting at the harsh light that radiated out of it.

"What time do you have to be up?" She asks, yawning.

"Not now." He groggily replies, burying his face into her hair.

She checks her phone. "It's almost noon."

His eyes shoot open, then he heavily sighs. "Dammit, practice is at 1. What about you?"

"I gave the girls three days off. That unfortunately doesn't include me, though. We still have to rehearse the duet."

"We can do that tomorrow, okay? You can stay here, the guys won't mind. It'll be empty for a couple hours, but around 4:30, I have to take care of some concert business, so they might start pouring in by then. You deserve a day off."

She groans and digs her face deeply into a pillow. "Can we just not do the duet?"

"Nope."

After a brief pause, she pushes him off the bed, taking him by surprise.

"Oof!" She rolls over to see his back to the floor with a pained expression on his face. "You broke me, Beca Mitchell!"

She pouts mockingly at him. "Poor baby."

"I think I need medical help."

She rolls her eyes. "Yeah, you most definitely do."

This time, it was his time to roll his eyes. She chucks a pillow at his head, enjoying this. "You're so mean. Will you at least help me up?"

She extends a hand out to him and he gratefully takes it to heave himself off the floor. She watches as he pulls on some sweatpants and a shirt, still lazily lying on his bed.

"I have time for brunch, if you want." He offers, but she declines.

"That requires actually getting ready, and I don't plan on doing that for the next couple hours." She softly chuckles, making him grin.

"I'll go pick up something, then. What do you want?"

She shrugs. "Surprise me."

He gives her a devious smirk before opening the door. In came tumbling in a group of guys, obviously eavesdropping through the thin barrier. "What the fuck?"

"We heard a crash!" Kolio defends, only receiving a disapproving glare from Jesse. He mouthes an apology to Beca, who was giving the boys death glares from her spot next to him bed. "You're all idiots. All of you."

* * *

With an earbud in each ear, she lazily lays on Jesse's bed, her stomach round after eating chicken and waffles (God dammit, Swanson). She stays like that for ten minutes. Fifteen minutes. Twenty minutes. Eventually, thirty minutes pass by and she's still laying there, bored out of her mind. Normally, she'd be working on some mixes, but her laptop was all the way over at her dorm, and she was far too lazy to leave such a comfortable bed to get it. Suddenly, the music flowing into her ears gets replaced by her favorite mix she had recently made, and the Candy Crush she was playing somehow transformed into a drunk Chloe's face from Halloween of that year. She accepts the call.

"Hello?"

"Hey Beca! Are you busy?" The ginger asks, her voice cheery.

"Nope. Why?"

"I still need to go Christmas shopping, and was wondering if you wanted to join me?"

"Why can't you go with Aubrey?"

"She drove to Savannah to meet up with Noah."

Beca sighs. She should probably do a little Christmas shopping too. "Fine."

"Yay! I'll pick you up in an hour, okay? Are you at Jesse's?"

"What? How'd you know?"

"You got dropped off at the Treble house yesterday, duh."

"And you automatically assumed that I'd still be here?"

"Well, yeah. Why wouldn't you be? I'm not dumb. Is he there? Am I interrupting something?"

She gives up. There was no budging this woman. "I already said that I wasn't busy. He's at Trebles practice for a couple hours. I'll just see you soon, okay? Bye Chlo."

"Byeee!"

She hangs up on her best friend, groaning. Now she actually has to look _presentable_.

She figures she'll ask Chloe to drop her off at her place to get some clothes, but there was nothing wrong with getting ready at his place.

* * *

The mall they went to was huge, overwhelming Beca to the breaking point. There were so many _people:_ so many employees offering store discounts; so many children screaming and crying and laughing; so many parents chasing them and telling them to stop or shut up. Chloe could tell it was overwhelming her, so they left to go to the main city square, which wasn't much different except that it was much calmer and open. Plus, there were the shops that Chloe liked, and there were the shops Beca liked. It was a win-win situation.

So far, Beca's gotten all nine of the Bellas gifts, plus a gift for Aubrey and Chloe (who picked it out herself). She had even made the choice to get each of her parents something decent this year; a brand new microwave for her mom (it was better for her to microwave then to actually use the stove) and a pair of moccasins for her dad to wear around campus. She wasn't quite sure of what to get Jesse quite yet. A movie? No, he probably owned all of them. A popcorn machine? She was pretty sure he owned one already. A flat screen TV for his room at the Treble house? _Ha!_ Get real.

Maybe a couple pairs of boxers since she always stole his. Was that weird? She shrugged to herself and told Chloe she'd go off to do a little shopping on her own for a while, to which the ginger nodded and went back to finding her parents presents. Beca exits the store she was currently in and walked around the cute little square, looking for a store that looked like they sold sensible, yet stylish, men's clothing. While on her stroll, she spotted a mob of people outside, an odd sight to see anywhere. She ignores it, no matter how curious she was to know what was happening. She finds a little shop that sold nerd stuff, perfect for someone like Jesse. She spies a Star Wars snow globe and figures she'd get it for Benji (what are the chances that he'd already have it?). Unfortunately, they didn't sell geek boxers, so she left the store with just the snow globe. She gives up on finding boxers after deciding it was, indeed, weird.

Refusing to give up her search for the perfect gift, she walks around the square a little more and eventually finds herself at a little shop on the corner. To her amazement, there were movie posters everywhere. They were framed and displayed on the walls and on the floors, and the entire place smelled like popcorn. It was a movie lovers paradise.

"Are these real?" She asks a kind looking salesman.

He grins widely. "Oh yes. There are originals and some are in mint condition, even a couple signed ones. Any in particular you were looking for?"

Beca shakes her head, smiling at the helpful man. "I'm just looking for now. I'll find something eventually."

"Okay, well just let me know if you need any help!" He says before retreating to the back room, leaving her alone in the dusty old store. She walks around the hoards of posters, pausing every once and a while to examine a few familiar ones. Finally, she finds herself facing the following three movie posters: _E.T._, _Jaws_, and _Jurassic Park_; three of Jesse's favorites. With a hand on her chin, she kneels down to view them more closely.

"Stuck?"

She looks up to see a smiling old guy with glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. She wasn't sure whether he was creepy or adorable, but either way she wasn't going to leave without one of these posters. "Sort of." She admits, to which he rubs the tip of his nose with his wrinkly, old man fingers. Maybe he was the store owner?

"Is this a gift for someone in particular? Or is it something you'd like to take home yourself?" He asks, kneeling down next to her.

"It's for someone else. He's kind of a movie nerd." She smiles, imagining Jesse's face opening the present.

"Someone special, I take?"

This old man was seriously nosy. "He's not _that_ special, but I guess you could say that."

"Say now, what's this fellow's name? Maybe I know him," He jokes, cracking a small smile from Beca.

She takes a deep breath, deciding to tell him. It's not like she'd ever see him again, anyways. "Jesse."

"Hey, I know a Jesse! A female though. Hmmm..." He examines the posters just like Beca, with a hand on his chin, "I think it all depends on what he likes. Aliens? Dinosaurs? Sharks?" He chuckles softly to himself.

"He's pretty into movie scores. I'm not a movie person, so this is a pretty tough decision." She sighs.

'Oh! In that case, you can narrow it down to two: _E.T_. or _Jaws_. Both fantastic scores, and they both won numerous academy awards, including best score."

With a careful eye, she looks at both posters, finally deciding. "I think I'll go with _E.T_. It'll match his room." She laughs, inwardly gagging at her latter comment.

"Great choice. He'll love it." He grins.

"Thanks. I didn't get your name?" She picks herself off the floor and extends a helping hand towards the generous old man.

He gratefully takes it and gives her a friendly shake. "It's Allan. And you are...?"

"Beca."

"Well, it was great meeting you, Beca. I'll be looking around some more. Maybe I'll run into you another time."

"Hopefully. Thanks Allan!" She smiles as he heads off to a different area of the store. She takes the framed poster and heaves it onto the counter, ringing the little bell. From the back room comes the previous employee she met earlier, a grin plastered on his face. "Did you find everything okay?"

She nods. "I did, with the help of the owner."

"The owner?" The employee asks, bewildered. She nods again, slowly this time. She watches as his eyes widen at something behind her, so she turns around and sees Allan there.

"Jeremy, will you come help me with something? Please?"

The boy nods enthusiastically. To Beca, it looked like he was in some sort of shock or something. "I'll just be right back, miss." He disappears and later reappears with an even larger grin on his face.

"Your total will be a hundred and fifty dollars, miss. Do you want us to wrap it? It's free."

She hands him her credit card. "Sure, why not?"

He swipes the card into the machine, and after she signs the screen, he hands her the receipt. "It'll just be a couple minutes. You're welcome to take a seat over there while you wait." He points to a bench next to the door, then disappears to the back room once more. She sits down and checks her phone to see that Chloe was waiting in the car for her. After what felt like forever, the employee comes out with the poster, all wrapped in silver wrapping paper. "Thank you! Happy holidays!"

* * *

Beca decides to get dropped off at the Treble house again, not wanting to go back to her dorm. While Jesse was gone, she wrapped eleven out of the fifteen gifts she bought. By the time he got back, she had run out of wrapping paper and gift bags, so she opted to making food with some of the guys who were there. Within just twenty minutes of being in the kitchen, Unicycle broke seven eggs trying to juggle (while on his unicycle), Michael accidentally cut his finger, and Benji somehow managed to make several ingredients disappear. All of this chaos for what?

A fucking sandwich.

* * *

Please let me know what you think!


	3. Ten Bags of Clothing

Disclaimer: I do not own any familiar movies, characters, locations, etc. that I mention below.

* * *

_On the tenth day of Christmas my weirdo gave to me..._

**Ten Bags of Clothing**

* * *

"It's Swanson family tradition to help out during the holidays, Becs. Donating is just one of the many things we Swansons do."

"But how in the world did you have ten bags worth of clothes in your closet?!" She exclaims, her eyes huge at all the black garbage bags in his room through her computer screen. Jesse's parents were visiting for the day and wanted their son to help them out, however Jesse failed to tell her this last night so she decided not to sleep over. That didn't stop him from video chatting her, though.

"They're not all mine. I got the guys to donate some things, plus the Harmonics pitched in a bunch of stuff. Even the girls added a lot to the pile. You're the only one who hasn't." He says disapprovingly at her.

She rolls her eyes. "I didn't get the memo!"

"It was posted on the Facebook group message! I printed out fliers and put them at the rehearsal spaces, too!"

She scoffs. "Well that explains it. I never check Facebook."

He groans. "Are you adding stuff to the pile or not? I'm leaving in a bit so you better hurry up."

"Okay, okay. Give me half an hour." She hangs up on him on Skype, sighing. She heads for her clothes and begins sorting through it until she fills three grocery bags worth of stuff.

She hears a knock at the door and turns around, watching as Jesse let himself in.

"Wow, this is good. We can at least fill up that last garbage bag to the top now. You coming?" He takes both bags, looking at her expectantly. She sighs and ruffles her hair with her fingers.

"I don't know, Jess..."

"They're dropping me off at the practice hall afterwards. You wouldn't have to walk there if you came along now," He reasons to a still unsure Beca.

She flashbacks to the first (and only) time she met them: The day of ICCA nationals, right after she made out with their son. Lets just say it was a _very_ awkward conversation that involved lots of questions (When did you two meet?" "Has my son been behaving lately?"), labeling ("Oh, Jesse you never told us you had a girlfriend!" "I hope our son isn't too terrible of a boyfriend."), and Beca's vocals ("Your girlfriend has a lovely voice, Jesse!).

He could see the hesitance in Beca's face. Not wanting to pressure her, he gives her a reassuring smile. "It's okay if you don't wanna come. I'll see you soon, okay?" He starts heading to the car with the bags, where his parents were waiting outside. She quickly grabs a jacket, locks the door, and runs after him. His parents weren't so bad; they just liked to _talk_. She remembered him mentioning something about his niece earlier. Maybe she'd be there.

He turns around and grins. "I'm glad you're going to join me on this lovely day of volunteer service." He puts an arm around her shoulder when she finally catches up with him. They reach the same car that Beca saw on her first day of freshman year; the one Jesse sang "Carry on my Wayward Son" to her in. He stuffs the bags in the trunk, which looked like it was about to burst open the minute he closed it, and opens the backseat door for them to go in.

"Good morning, Beca! It's good to see you!" His mom greets as they enter the car, giving her a warm smile.

"Hi, Mrs. Swanson. It's good to see you too." She replies. The first thing she notices, other than his mom, is little Kaia, Jesse's six-year-old niece. She was fast asleep in her booster seat, with drool traveling down the length of her cheek. She smiles at the sight. So many people assumed she hated little kids, and it shocked them whenever they saw her playing with them. She loved kids. Well, below the age of eight. Anyone beyond eight was a pain in the ass.

"How are the Bellas coming along?" His dad asks.

"We're doing great so far! Just won regionals."

"I'm sure you girls will take that national title again. I have no doubt about it!"

Jesse points to the Treble hoodie he was wearing. "Dad, _hello_?"

"You're funny, son."

"You haven't even heard us yet!"

"Honey, ignore your father. We believe in you plenty."

"Thanks mom." Jesse grumbles, making Beca snicker. She was already liking his parents 100% more than she did earlier.

"We'll have to make two trips. I hope you don't mind, Beca." His mom says once they arrive at the Salvation Army thrift store.

"Oh no, it's fine Mrs. Swanson." They all exit the car except for the sleeping little girl. Jesse swings around the other side of the car and unbuckles the little brunette's seatbelt, which awakens her. Kaia yawns and wraps her arms around Jesse's neck as he picks her up from the booster and holds her.

"Uncle Jesse, where are we?" She asks, her cheek resting on his shoulder.

Beca smiles at the sight. God dammit. Why were little kids so cute?

"We're here to donate some clothes, Kaia," He replies, "You're gonna have to walk okay kiddo?"

The little girl groans. "But I don't wanna!" She yawns again, nuzzling her face into his neck.

"But Kai, I have to help take the clothes to the building.. You can hold grandma's hand, okay?"

"I'll do it." Beca offers before the little girl can reply. He gives her a helpless look as she hauls two of the garbage bags filled with clothes while his parents take the remaining three, and together they walk through the front doors of the crowded building, with Kaia still hanging onto Jesse's chest.

"Jesse can you go get the rest of the bags at your place? Dad and I are going to go help out for a little. Bring back some warm food or something for everyone working here, okay?" His mom asks. He nods and begins counting how many volunteers there were at the moment. Just as he's about to step out of the doors, his mother calls to him. "Oh, and Jesse, please be extra watchful of Kaia. We wouldn't want what happened last time to happen again." Jesse nods again and tightens his hold on Kaia before leaving the building. Beca follows, now noticing how the smaller brunette was staring at her.

"Who are you?"

Beca gives the little girl a smile. "I'm Beca. What's your name?"

She figured it would creep the kid out if she didn't ask properly.

"Kaia Swanson! Ooh, Jesse talked about you on Thanksgiving! Are you guys..." she giggles, "Girlfriend and boyfriend?"

"Uhh..."

"Do you guys kiss? Kissing is gross." She makes a sour face, making Beca laugh.

"I agree, kissing _is_ gross."

Kaia grins. "My mommy and daddy kiss when I'm not looking. Once," she whispers, "I even saw."

"Okay okay, put your seatbelt on you silly girl." He places her back into her booster seat and shuts the car door.

"Sorry about her." He apologizes, running a hand through his hair.

She shakes her head. "It's fine, she's adorable."

"Huh, who would've known that you, Beca Mitchell, liked children. You'd think that ear spike was there to scare away kids." He chuckles, only earning a shove on the chest.

"Jerk."

"There's no need for violence! Way to be a good role model." His head turns to the little girl watching them through the window, who sticks her tongue out at them.

* * *

After retrieving the five bags at the Treble house, the trio head to Beca's favorite coffee and bakery shop off campus. Kaia clings tightly onto Jesse's arm, bouncing along on the snow laden ground.

"Beca how old are you?"

"That's not a very polite question to ask, Kai." Jesse scolds the little girl, whose face was getting red.

"Sorry. Do you like movies? Like uncle Jesse likes movies?"

"I think your uncle Jesse loves movies, not just likes them. He's kind of crazy, don't you think?" Beca smirks, only to be surprised at the fierce response Kaia gives.

"No he's not! Movies are..." Kaia rolls her tongue inside her mouth, trying to find the right word to describe her love of movies.

"Amazing? Terrific? Incredible? _Awesome_?"

"Yeah that's the word! Awesome!" She shouts, giving her uncle a high-five.

Beca raises an eyebrow at Jesse, who simply shrugs in response. "I've trained her well. There's no corrupting this one, sorry Beca. You tried."

She rolls her eyes as they enter the coffee shop, which smelled strongly of fresh coffee and peppermint. "What do you want, Kaia?"

"A caramel macchiato with extra whipped cream and extra caramel sauce, please."

Her jaw drops slightly. She was speechless. What the hell?

He gives Beca an amused look. "She's kidding. She's getting hot chocolate."

Kaia giggles beside him. "That's what my mommy usually orders when I'm with her."

She sighs under her breath, shaking her head at the clever little six-year-old. "So Jess, what exactly happened last time you two were together?" She asks once he finishes ordering their drinks and baked goods (a cookie for Kaia, a muffin for Beca, and a warm apple pie for Jesse's parents and the rest of the volunteers).

He looks up from the table counter and puffs a cloud of air from his cheeks, taking a moment to think.

"He lost me at Toys 'R' Us on Black Friday! My mommy and daddy got really mad at him. Grandma and grandpa, too."

Jesse rubs the back of his neck nervously. Beca blinks, unable to keep the sly smirk off her face. She drums her fingers on the table. "That is brand new information. Very interesting."

"Mommy said he was 'too distracted', but I dunno what that actually means. He bought me a brand new dolly to play with because he felt really bad."

"What a naughty, naughty thing to do, Jesse." She shakes her head disapprovingly at him.

Jesse gets up at the sound of their number being called, leaving Kaia and Beca alone for a moment.

"You never answered my question, Beca! Do you like movies? What's your favorite?" Kaia bounds up to her and suddenly jumps onto her lap, eager to hear her answer.

"Movies are O.K. My favorite is The Breakfast Club, but don't tell uncle Jesse that. He knows, but I don't want him making a big deal out of it, okay?"

The smaller brunette nods enthusiastically. "I've never seen that movie! My favorite is movie is _Tangled_."

* * *

After a couple of hours at the thrift store, the Swansons (plus Beca) leave to see Jesse's grandmother. Well over the age of 80, she suffered from Parkinson's disease and currently resided at an elderly home, where a caregiver and nurse were always on hand to tend to her needs. Beca remembers when he talked about it with her when she was first diagnosed nearly a year ago. She felt awkward and had she known they were going to do this, she wouldn't have come.

Kaia holds Beca's hand tightly with her own as they walk down the quiet hallway that led to Jesse's grandmother's room. Jesse's parents go in first, since they only allowed a certain number of persons in each room during visiting hours. They wait outside the doorway in the uncomfortable silence of the hallway, with only an occasional cough heard in the distance every once in a while.

"Becs, you don't have to come in if you don't want to. I understand." He murmurs into her ear. She nods, thankful. "I had no idea we were coming to visit Nan."

"It's okay, I'll just stay out here." She gives him a tight-lipped smile just as his parents emerge from the room, holding each other tightly. She squeezes his hand, unsure of what to do in a situation like this. She had never been through something like what the Swanson's were going through. Kaia's hand remains in hers for the next five minutes, waiting for Jesse. Once he returns, she wraps her free arm around his back and rubs it assuringly, hoping to relieve some of the stress. He remains silent as they drive to their next destination, the soup kitchen. Kaia seems to pick up on his mood and mimics his silence, the cause of a very uncomfortable car ride.

Once they arrive at the soup kitchen, the Swansons' moods seem to brighten a little as they begin the start of a holiday dinner for the homeless people. Kaia sings Christmas songs, lifting everyone's spirits greatly. From their station at the sink, Jesse and Beca sing along with the bubbly six-year-old as they washed and dried dishes. Eventually, however, they all stop singing. Kaia, bored out of her mind, skips around the dining hall, aimlessly running into people and clumsily tripping over her own feet. It's four o'clock, and Jesse and Beca have to leave to practice their duet. Beca thanks the Swanson's for the day and they begin to head out, only to be stopped by Kaia's little hands grabbing at Jesse's coat.

"Where ya goin, uncle Jesse?"

"We've gotta go, kiddo. We need to practice our singing."

"Can I come? Please?" The smaller brunette begs. Jesse exchanges a glance with his mom, whose eyes seem tired from trying to tame the energetic girl.

"If you come along, you'll have to be really quiet, okay? This is serious singing."

Beca tries not to laugh. _Serious singing._

"Okay! Can I bring my backpack then?"

"You brought your backpack?"

Kaia nods. "It's in the car. I brought homework to do!" Jesse sighs, grabs the keys from his dad, and retrieves the backpack from the car.

"You three be safe out there! We'll come pick Kaia up around seven, okay?"

The three nod and leave to catch the bus to the campus. Kaia sits on Beca's lap, obviously taking a liking to the taller brunette. When they arrive, Kaia sits on one of the chairs and takes out her homework, studying it like a scholar. Every once in a while, she'd interrupt rehearsal by asking for homework help on a word that she didn't understand or to just comment on their singing. The little girl was very interested in their duet and watched with big, adoring eyes, clapping her hands whenever they finished the chorus. Beca loved her mini audience; it made practicing for the stupid duet more worthwhile.

* * *

By the time seven o'clock rolls around, Kaia's exhausted and passed out on her seat. Jesse carries the young girl to the car, where his parents were waiting outside. Beca accompanies him, meaning to thank his parents. They hand him containers of dinner, which they gratefully take. They're about to shut the car door when Kaia suddenly awakens from her slumber, reaching for Jesse with a yawn.

"Uncle Jesse?"

"Yes Kai?"

She gestures for him to move closer to her, intending to tell him a secret. Her little hands cup around his ear. "Are you and Beca going to get married?" She whispers into his ear, looking at him intensely, as if she were never asleep.

Although he's taken aback by her question, he's not hesitant in his answer. "Hopefully. Eventually."

She sleepily gives him two thumbs up, which makes him smile. He shuts the car door and wraps an arm around Beca's waist while the other waves goodbye to the young girl waving back at them.

"What was that about?" She asks, curious to know.

Jesse shrugs and smiles. "She said that you have a great singing voice."

* * *

Kaia is loosely based off of a little six-year-old girl I met while I was on vacation a couple of weeks ago. She's the sweetest little thing on the planet, and I just had to write about her.

I also wrote this while I was supposed to be studying for a final tomorrow, so this is very rough.

If I don't update tomorrow (which is unlikely, but possible) or Wednesday (which is much more likely), then know I'll make it up on the weekend. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review, it'd mean a lot!


	4. Nine Packages of Candy

Sorry for the delay, everyone. I think we can all agree that finals week sucks!

Disclaimer: I do not own any familiar movies, characters, locations, etc. that I mention below.

* * *

_On the ninth day of Christmas my weirdo gave to me..._

**Nine Packages of Candy**

* * *

Beca _loves_ candy. So when Jesse bought not just one, but _nine_ packages of sugary goodness, she could hardly contain herself.

It wasn't until after she came sprinting over after Bellas practice that he thought he'd tell her it was for a gingerbread house.

"A gingerbread house? Why can't we just eat the candy by itself?" She grabs for the sour gummy worms (her favorite), but ends up being too slow. He pushes it away from her.

"Because this isn't just some average gingerbread house." He smirks, a bad sign that he was up to no good, "It'll be the most epic, most accurate miniature replica of Hogwarts ever built out of gingerbread walls and candy."

"How old are you? Six?"

He rolls his eyes. "Add fourteen."

"Thirteen, you dumbass." She bursts out laughing at an embarrassed Jesse, who ducks his head and counts with his fingers to make sure.

"Shit, you're right." His hand goes to his eyes, unamused at Beca's laughter. She takes this opportunity to snatch the package of gummy worms and runs out of the kitchen, only to have him follow suit. Her short legs fail her as he swoops her up and over his shoulder. Her fists thump repeatedly onto his back, demanding for him to put her down.

"For the record, Harry Potter is for all ages. You're just a little old Grinch." He says as he sets her down. She glares at him and pinches his upper arm. "Ow! Okay, how about 'You're a beautiful, fantastically talented, little old Grinch?' Better?"

She rolls her eyes. "Not really."

Suddenly, he grabs her waist and kisses her, taking Beca by surprise. Determined to not let him win, she doesn't kiss back. He pulls back and pouts.

God dammit. She was a sucker for that puppy dog face. It was her one and only weakness when it came to Jesse.

"How about, 'You're a beautiful, fantastically talented, remarkably small and relatively youthful Grinch'. Bonus points for being a great kisser," He pauses, "Well, not with that kiss. But still." He shrugs innocently, giving her another one of his stupid puppy faces.

Her eyes glint with amusement as she turns away from him, unwilling to give in. She decides to change the subject. "You know, I bet you that if I built a gingerbread house, mine would totally win. It's," She gives him a sly smirk, "_inevitable_."

His jaw unhinges slightly. "What?! First of all, that's my line," She faces him, her lips pulling into a wry smile, "And second, you totally would not. I, Jesse Swanson, am the master of all things, including gingerbread house making."

"Ugh, you're _such_ a loser. I don't even know why I like you."

"It's inevitable, Beca. You just gotta accept it. Just accept that I will totally crush, no, _annihilate_, your gingerbread house." He sticks out his tongue at her, making her roll her eyes again.

"Alright then, if I make the better gingerbread house, then you have to do whatever I say, whatever I want. Deal?"

He raises an eyebrow and crosses his arms. "Okay, deal. This is only applies to the next twenty-four hours after the bet, right?"

Just then, all the guys barge into the house, startling Beca. They see the candy and charge straight for them, not stopping to ask whether they could have any whatsoever. Each Treble takes a package. Unicycle reaches for her gummy worms, but the death glare she gives him tells him otherwise. Jesse yells at everyone to stop, but they ignore him and retreat to their respective spots in the house. "Seriously? I just bought those. Guess we'll have to go back to the store." He sighs, rubbing his temples with the pad of his thumbs. He grabs his jacket and pulls his shoes while Beca does the same. They drive to the grocery store a couple of minutes away from the Treble house, where they head straight to the candy aisle. Immediately, Beca throws in four bags of sour gummy worms (which may or not be for her own enjoyment), a bag of peppermints, gum drops, M&M's, and marshmallows. She waits for him to pick out his own candy before they're stopped by two girls, maybe around sixteen, flailing at the sight of them.

"Oh. My. God." The girl in the striped sweater gasps as she spots the two and their embarrassingly full baskets of candy. Beca exchanges a glance with Jesse, who gives her a confused look.

"You're the leaders of the Barden Bellas and the Treblemakers! I cannot believe this. Can we get your autographs?" The other girl, a blonde with a single braid down her back, asks, her eyes big as she stares at them.

Beca bites her lip. "Um, sure?" The sweater girl digs into her purse and finds a pen and something to write on. The other girl keeps glancing at Beca's hand, seemingly searching for something, which makes Beca uncomfortable. Finally, the girl gives up and hands Jesse a sharpie and the back of her phone case, while the other does the same to Beca. Jesse flashes a smile and signs their phone cases, then gives the sharpie over to Beca, who does the same. She gives their phones back, giving them a small smile.

"Oh thank you! We love a cappella, like, in _love_. We saw the Trebles win semi-finals last year." The sweater girl says, a smile plastered on her pale face. "You know, what you did was really cool but it's too bad you didn't tell the other Bellas. Aubrey looked pissed."

Beca rolls her eyes at the memory of Aubrey's temper tantrum afterwards, then frowns remembering how she treated Jesse at that same moment. "Yeah. She was really mad, and it pissed me off so I quit." The girls gasp at the sudden information being shared. "But she came crawling back to me once we learned that we could go to ICCA finals." She smirks.

The blonde continues to stare at her hand. "So... The rumors aren't true?" She frowns. Sweater girl hits her friend for some reason unknown to the two.

Jesse scratches his head, confused. "What rumors?"

"I mean, unless you're just not wearing it..."

All of a sudden, it clicks. The continuous staring at her hand all makes sense now. "What in the...? No! God no!"

Jesse, still confused, elbows the brunette, wanting to know what was going on.

"We are _not_ engaged."

His mouth drops, finally understanding what she meant. "What?!"

"Are you two even an item? Is that a myth too? Is it all for the cameras? That's what people say on the websites, too."

"What the hell? What websites? What cameras? There aren't any cameras." Beca scoffs, already not liking these girls.

"What Beca means to say, is that, we are very much together. But we aren't, you know, _that_ together." Jesse says, choosing his words carefully as he tries to calm the astonished brunette down.

"...Okay. Well, since we're on the topic of you two as a couple, and God, I hope this isn't weird for us to be asking these questions," The sweater girl glares at her blonde friend, who glares back, "But how long have you been together?"

Jesse immediately answers so Beca doesn't, very much sensing her irritation. "Since ICCA finals. But it was love at first sight." He grins goofily at Beca, who rolls her eyes so hard that she could see her brain. God, he was so annoying.

"Aw, that's cute. So, like, will you guys be forming a mega Bella-Treble group at Barden or something?"

"Well, if we did, we'd be called the Treble-Bellas," He chuckles as she pinches his side, making him jump, "We're collaborating for a winter concert that will happen this Saturday. It'll be in the Barden University auditorium, admission is ten dollars. You two should come, it'll be great."

"Oh, cool! Well, expect us there." Blonde girl smiles flirtatiously, as sweater girl clears her throat.

"Er, yeah. It was nice meeting you two! Bye, thank you!" Sweater girl drags her friend away, but they were still in earshot when Beca hears the blonde start talking.

"I bet you they won't last, Kat, She was a total bitch, especially to him. She doesn't deserve him."

"You're just a fucking idiot, Jenny."

Beca mentally high-fives sweater girl for being a rational human being, and mentally strangles blondie. She crosses her arms as they walk towards the line of cashiers. Jesse notices her annoyance and wraps an arm around her, trying to comfort her.

"That was really weird. I've never been recognized in public." He says, hoping to ease her into a state of comfort. She nods and lets herself sink into his side, ignoring the judgemental stares they were getting. They stroll around the store, looking at various food displays and festive desserts. He decides to grab a tub of ice cream, their favorite flavor, and a container of sprinkles before paying for their items. Once they're in the car, she finally talks.

"I hate people."

"Well of course, you _are_ the Grinch."

She glares at him. "You know, you aren't exactly on the nice list right now, either."

"Oh? How so?"

"Treble-Bellas? Seriously."

"That's it?"

"Pretty much."

"Something in me senses that that wasn't the only thing that annoyed you today."

"Well, yeah. Those girls were insane. I'm just super paranoid now. People think we're actually engaged." She shifts uncomfortably in her seat, letting out a long breath. "I can't believe there are actual rumors about a cappella nerds outside of the a cappella community_— _I still can't believe there are actual, completely real _fans_ of a cappella."

"Benji was one before college."

"Yeah, well it's weird."

"There are weirder things, Becs."

* * *

"Timer starts... NOW!"

Benji stares as the two hurriedly put together their walls of their houses with frosting. Beca chooses to take the slow route, while Jesse does everything fast paced. She carefully places each gumdrop neatly onto the roof of her house, while he busily throws on candy with a messy hand. By the time their two hours are up, Beca's looks like a masterpiece compared to his. But she chooses not to tell him, instead having the guys judge.

"Beca's for sure."

"Beca's makes yours look like trash, bro."

"What the fuck is that, Jesse?"

"I think it's a train? A laundromat? Are washing washing machines supposed to have that many buttons?"

"IT'S HOGWARTS! See, the four towers, the courtyard... THE QUIDDITCH HOOP?!"

Beca cackles as they continue their commentary, all the while being praised on such her cute creation. "If it makes you feel any better, I could text the girls a few pictures of the houses and ask them to judge. Maybe the guys aren't the best judges." She says once they all retreat back to their rooms, a sly grin on her face.

"No thanks, you win. I quit." He says, defeated.

"Aw, my poor baby." She pouts and dips a finger into the last can of frosting, poking him on the nose. She gives him a kiss on the lips, loving how his frown gradually turns into a smile. His nose crashes into hers, smearing the frosting over both of their noses. She pulls away and crinkles her nose, not liking the cold goop on her skin. As she reaches for a napkin, he slathers more of the frosting onto her cheek, and then to her chest, making her gasp. She shoves her small hand into the tub of frosting and shoves it up his shirt, and soon enough they're both covered in the smooth sweetness.

It was amazing how carefree she felt with him, and how crazy it felt to be happy. His laugh was infectious and the way his face looked, covered in a ridiculous amount of frosting, only fueled her own laughter. They're sitting on the kitchen tile, kissing and laughing and smiling happily. Suddenly, Beca remembers a very important piece of information she ought to share.

"So, my servant, your first order of business is to clean me up."

He groans, but that big, goofy grin is still on his face. "Yes, my master." He gives her a quick kiss before picking her up over his shoulder and sprinting to his bedroom like an excited puppy, not caring about the amount of frosting that was sticking to his skin.

* * *

Please review! Questions will be answered... eventually... :)


	5. Eight Grumpy Senior Citizens

So, in the last chapter I completely forgot to mention that I was not meaning to offend a cappella fans. Like Jesse says, there are weirder (e.g. me, bronies, etc). Also, special thanks to the passerby reviewer- What I meant by "Barden University auditiorium", I actually meant "Schnee Performing Arts Center". Thanks!

Shorter than usual chapter, but nevertheless I hope you all enjoy it! Read and review :D

Disclaimer: I do not own any familiar songs, characters, movies, etc. that I mention below.

* * *

_On the eighth day of Christmas my weirdo gave to me..._

**Eight Grumpy Senior Citizens**

* * *

"You girls are too revealing! We're not watching until you get some more clothes on." An old woman complains, along with seven other old people at the nursing home they were in.

The Bellas look helplessly at their leader, who looks to Aubrey for guidance. The former leader of the group scratches her head, unsure of what to do. Jesse lets out an exasperated sigh, unexpecting such a predicament.

* * *

_Eight hours earlier..._

This time, it's Jesse who wakes up first. It's around four o'clock in the morning, and he's been disturbed out of a glorious dream involving Beca and dinosaurs. It wasn't really who woke him up, rather, it was _what_. He lifts his head and sees Beca's petite body curled up into a ball snuggled into his body. He shakes his head, wondering if he was just dreaming, when that noise erupts into his ear again. He rubs his eyes and looks around his room, wondering if something were in his room or something. The sound comes again, this time he realizes it's closer than he thought it was, and so he keeps his eyes peeled. He looks at Beca's sleeping form and wraps his arms around her, and that's when he not only hears it, but _feels_ it. The body up against him exhales, and suddenly he knows what the sound was. Beca was snoring.

He bursts out laughing at the sudden realization, unable to stop. She rouses from her sleep, irritated and confused. She slaps a hand over his mouth, but he continues laughing, which brings her to her boiling point. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Will you shut _up_?"

He shakes his head repeatedly as the tears start to roll down his cheeks. She groans and moves to the other side of the bed, folding the pillow over her ears in an attempt to drown out all the noise in the world. He grabs her waist and pulls her back to his body. He brushes the hair blocking her ear away and leans in, smirking. "You were snoring."

She flips over and looks him dead in the eye. "And?"

He gulps. "It was funny?"

"You're an idiot. I'm leaving." She rolls her eyes and tries to get up, only to be stopped by Jesse's grabby hands. He climbs on top of her so that he was straddling her hips, frustrating her. "Can you get off? I just want some damn sleep."

"Sorry! I've never heard you snore before. It was funny!" He chuckles lightly, not receiving a very amused response from the grumpy brunette.

Beca takes a pillow and hits him with it, knocking him back to her side. "Me snoring is not funny. I never snore."

"That's why it's funny!" He repeats, this time throwing his arms into the air wildly. She looks up, blinks sleepily, then gives up trying to talk to him and buries herself into his body again. His chuckles die out, and finally it's peaceful and quiet.

_Hiccup._

Jesse covers his mouth, trying not to make another sound. Beca stiffens beside him, just waiting for another one to come out of that loud mouth of his.

_Hiccup._

This time, it was her turn trying to hold in her laughter. _That's what he gets for waking her up._

_Hiccup._

She turns to him, smirking. "Do you need water or something?"

He bites his lip and shakes his head stubbornly, attempting to show her that he was perfectly fine. She waits for another spasm to hit his chest.

_Hiccup._

She gives him a wry smile as he begins nodding his head animatedly. She sighs and they get off the bed. She drags him out into the kitchen and pours him a glass of water from which he drinks in one big gulp. She allows herself to lean onto the counter, waiting and crossing her fingers.

_Hiccup_.

"You're kidding me."

He shakes his head, his cheeks round as he inhaled air into them. She pours him another couple of glasses and he gulps them all down, all the while she waited impatiently.

_Hiccup._

"Do you guys have peanut butter?"

His shoulders go up and droop down, making her frown. She digs into the messy cupboards and pantry and finally finds a jar. She takes out two spoons and they each have a spoonful of the smooth peanut butter. They wait.

Silence.

Jesse jumps in victory and high-fives Beca. The celebration is short-lived, however, because Beca drags him back to the room so they could get some sleep. Once they get comfortable once again, he strokes the skin on her back, lulling her to sleep.

Almost.

He checks to see if she was asleep by waving a hand in front of her face. She opens an eye, annoyed.

"I really need to pee."

She groans. "Then pee?"

He excuses himself off the bed and she rolls her eyes. Why was it so hard to get some sleep around here?

He gets back and continues stroking her back, hoping she falls back asleep. It doesn't work.

"Jess?"

"Yeah?"

She turns to face him. "I can't sleep."

"I wonder whose fault that is."

Her jaw clenches. "I don't laugh when you snore."

"I snore?!"

She scoffs and digs her face into his chest to prevent herself from giving herself away. "What are we doing tomorrow?"

"Today," He corrects, "we're going to have a test performance at the nursing home my grandma lives in. She asked me what a cappella was and I wanna show her firsthand."

She takes her face out of his chest and scooches over so that she was face-to-face with him. "That's nice of you."

"Us. We're doing nice things for nice old people. It'll be fun."

* * *

_Eight hours later..._

"This is most definitely not fun." Beca mumbles as she takes a seat in the atrium, where the girls all slumped in their Christmas outfits. Their clothes weren't that short and they didn't think it would offend anyone, but they were most certainly wrong. The eight elderly folks refused to watch, and while they could still perform without fixing their clothing choices, Beca saw that it was bothering Jesse. She knew how important it was to him and she'd feel awful if something stupid were to ruin it. So, she had to come up with a fast decision.

"Stacie, what did you do when you violated the dress code when you were in high school?"

The busty brunette looks up from filing her nails. "Oh, that's easy. I was forced to put on a long coats. It always happened on Halloween."

"Does everyone have long coats?" She looks at the nods around the room and sighs in relief. It was a simple solution to an odd problem.

She runs to tell Jesse and they begin their performance, starting with the BU Harmonics' "All I Want for Christmas", then the Trebles' version of "Jingle Bell Rock", and then the Bellas go with "Silent Night". They end the afternoon with all the groups with "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", where a guy dressed as St. Nicholas himself appears and gives each old person a present. It was a sweet sight, in Beca's opinion, and although exhausted, she did have a little fun. The old people sang along and danced cutely to their music. The eight previously angry old people come up and give them praise, almost as if they forgot about the outfit dilemma. She observes how the groups were all mingling with the senior citizens, smiling at how smoothly it was going. Suddenly, Jesse comes up to her and pulls her arms around his waist. She looks up, confused. His eyes wander to an isolated old woman in the corner with frilly white hair and brown eyes that resembled so much like Jesse's. She could only assume it was his grandmother.

He leans his forehead onto hers and brushes away a couple stray hairs before speaking lowly into her ear. "Would you like to meet my Nan, Becs? I understand if—"

She chews her bottom lip nervously and exhales deeply, nodding. He gives her a light kiss before leading her to his grandmother.

"Nan, this is Beca," he says with a smile, "we've been together for a couple of months now". Beca shakes the old lady's hand, noticing the trembling that came with it. No movement flickered on her face, instead she wore an emotionless mask. But somehow, Beca could tell she was trying so hard to give her something, anything— a smile, a squeeze.

Like her hands, her voice trembles as she speaks softly to the young brunette. "Hello, Beca. I'm Alice. You were all wonderful. Thank you."

Beca gives her a warm smile and bites the inside of her cheek, unsure of what to say. Something about the way her eyes glistened made Beca feel it— She wasn't sure of what, but she felt it.

"I'm sorry about Gertrude, her and her gang are all old prudes."

Surprised, Beca finds herself laughing softly at her comment, realizing all the life behind those dull brown eyes. Her face remains expressionless, however, as she leans in to touch Beca's cheek. Taken aback from the sudden invasion of privacy, she jumps a little.

"I apologize, you just... You're very beautiful, you know. My grandson chose well."

"Aw, Nan..."

She begins to rock back and forth as her tremors start to increase. Beca leans into Jesse's chest as she takes one of his hands and squeezes it. He looks at her and nods, noticing her discomfort.

"We have to head out now, sorry Nan. I'll see you next week, okay? I'll go get Karen for you," He leaves her alone with Alice for a bit, trying to be as quick as possible to find her caretaker. The old woman takes Beca's hand again and holds it to her cheek.

"That Jesse is a good boy. I hope he's just as good to you as he is to me, my dear." She says softly.

She nods. "He is, he really is."

"Good, very, very good." Alice mumbles quietly as she let's go of her hand slowly. Karen comes and to take Alice back to her room, where Jesse accompanies her for a bit. Beca returns to the girls, who were busy laughing with an old man who looked a lot like Hugh Heffner.

"Oh my God, Beca! Doesn't this guy look a lot like Hugh Heffner?" Chloe whispers excitedly in her ear. Beca, whose mind was off somewhere else, nods distractedly. Chloe dismisses her friend's distracted state and continues chatting with the old man. Jesse comes back and takes her away from all the noise in the atrium and into the main entryway. They take a seat next to one of the property's many cats, who pads over next to Beca's side as she strokes its soft fur. Beca wasn't sure of how to act in situations like these, but she genuinely tried to be as supportive as possible, even if it weren't in her comfort zone.

"She's nice, and she's funny. You're lucky."

"Yeah, she is." His smile's missing a certain quality, but he remains a calm demeanor. "I haven't seen her smile in years." He sighs, his eyes dulling by the second.

"I'm sorry, Jess." She gives him a weak smile and reaches up to kiss his face, hoping that it'd somehow comfort him, even though she knew it wouldn't. His lips move passionately against hers, but they're forced to pull away at the reality of the situation in which they were at an elderly home and that it probably wasn't appropriate for them to be doing that. "We can ditch this place, maybe go watch a couple of movies or get some sleep. I can tell Aubrey to handle it."

After a flicker of hesitation, he nods and she pulls him away from the building, wanting to relieve all the stresses that were held inside of it.


	6. Seven Hours of Nagging and Temptation

I'm kinda sad this fic couldn't be updated consecutively... But, stuff happens. You know, family stuff, parties, the lack of internet connection right when I finish the chapter... Hope you all understand!

Disclaimer: I do not own any familiar locations, characters, movies, etc. that I mention below.

* * *

_On the seventh day of Christmas my weirdo gave to me..._

**Seven Hours of Nagging and Temptation**

* * *

Arm in arm, Beca and Jesse walk through Atlanta's busiest malls, searching for a last-minute Christmas gift for his secret santa. Unlike Beca, he had chosen to wait last minute to find Aubrey a gift for the holidays. He figured bringing Beca would help him in finding a gift that would make the picky blonde satisfied. Plus, it was pretty much the last opportunity to spend with Beca, alone, until semester starts in January. With the concert only 48 hours away, and the fact that she was leaving the day after gave little room for alone time. The plan was to find the gift, get some dinner and dessert, and, he assumed, then she'd sleep over one last night before she had to go home and pack. He holds her a little closer, a little tighter, but Beca doesn't seem to notice.

"You know what Aubrey needs? She needs one of these— scratch that, _I_ need one of these." She sighs as she plops down onto a massaging chair. She presses the 'trial' button and the chair begins to vibrate on her back, sending her into pure bliss. He digs his hands into his pockets, looking around the mall, trying to scope a decent store to look in. His eyes land on the pet shop's store window, noticing how uncharacteristically barren it was outside of it. His eyes flicker from the relaxing Beca back to the store window, knowing very well that if they passed by, she would never shut up about the furry animals. He makes a clear mental note to avoid the seemingly inviting aura of the pet shop until they got what they needed. Her trial on the chair is up and she pouts, wanting more.

"Does Aubrey like shoes? She likes shoes, right? We should head this way." He pulls on her wrist opposite the direction of the animals.

With a shake of her head, she refuses to budge. "She does like shoes... But I wouldn't buy her any sort of the type without her approval. She's anal about that stuff. You should get her a tea set or silverware or something. She's boring like that. I'm pretty sure it's this way, though." She says, pointing over her shoulder to the very place he was worried about. She tugs on his hand and he helplessly follows along. He moves to her other side so that he could block the view of the puppies and kittens in the pet store's window, but he fails miserably. She sees the window and she bites her lip, her blue eyes pleading with his brown ones. If Beca had one weakness other than puppy dog Jesse, it was actual puppies. And kitties.

With a straight face, he nods and she drags him to the store window. Immediately, a little golden corgi pads up to the window, yapping away as Beca taps on the glass gently. An employee notices and invites the duo in to pet the animals in person. Inside the store, they kneel down as a slur of fluffy animals gather around them, their tails wagging as they lick up Beca's face. She smiles as the same corgi somehow climbs itself into Jesse's lap, surprising him. He grins watching Beca play with the animals, glad to see her so carefree and loose.

"I want one, Jesse!" She cries as she cuddles a sleeping kitten, burying her face into its soft fur. "Barden's a pet friendly campus, I say we should get one." She says, petting the golden corgi in his lap. She sets the kitten down and picks up the playful puppy.

He shakes his head vigorously, even with a smile on his lips as the corgi continues to entertain them. "They are pretty cute, but I think you're forgetting the real reason why we're here."

She frowns. "But look at its face!" She lifts the corgi and shoves it into his face as the puppy whimpers. Jesse laughs, amused at how Beca was acting. "Look at its ears!"

"We need to go before you do something like smuggle them out."

"But _Jesse_!" She lifts the pup up just as it sneezes and she begins to laugh. "We can name him Fred or something. He looks like a Fred. Or maybe a Peter."

"Remind me to not let you pick the names of our children." He chuckles, but she doesn't find him funny and instead slaps his shoulder.

"I don't like you." She says once they leave the store. He shrugs, passing by the display for movie times. She silently thanks her lucky stars that he didn't notice, until he turns around to see what movies were playing. She groans.

"There's a midnight showing of _Anchorman 2_ tonight! I completely forgot it's coming out tomorrow." He looks at Beca, who rolls her eyes. "Can we see it, Becs? Please?"

"No."

"But Beca!"

"Aren't sequels usually terrible anyways?"

"This one has great reviews!"

"The answer's still 'no'."

His shoulders droop as they continue their search for his secret santa present. They come across a gift shop filled with various trinkets and arts and crafty things. An old lady works the cash register, keeping a wary eye on the young couple as they browse through the store. They don't notice, however, as they search the store for something to give Aubrey.

Jesse spots a display of nice tableware and goes to tell Beca, but she beats him to it.

"Oh my God, you need to get her this." She says with a giant grin on her face. His eyes follow hers.

He scratches his head at the sight of a teddy bear cookie jar. "What's so great about it?"

"She'll lose her shit. It'll be _hilarious_." She snickers.

"...Over a cookie jar? Does she not like bears or something?"

"No, not that. _That_," she tilts her head to the wall.

"_Oh_."

On the wall, there was a cuckoo clock, painted a light pink and covered in sparkles. There were swans painted all over it, as well as bows decorating the entire thing.

He gulps. "You're joking, right?"

She gives him a look. "Dead serious. You need to get her this."

"Well, I say that _you_ should get it, 'cause I definitely will not."

She frowns. "Too late, I already got her something. C'mon, what could possibly be better than this?" She gestures to the modest clock, fake grinning like a tired salesperson.

"How about this nice mug and matching plates? Look," he points to the pink bow tied around the mug's handle, "it'll go with your cuckoo clock theme."

She gives him a sarcastic laugh and shrugs. "Whatever. Nothing will beat the cuckoo clock though. Actually, maybe a gift certificate to Jamba Juice would be better. Yeah, I like that idea a lot more." She smirks.

"Ha-ha." He rolls his eyes and takes the set to the old lady behind the counter, ready to pay. The old lady inspects the glassware carefully before packaging it into boxes.

"Who's this for? Your mother? Sister?"

"Just a friend." He says, taking in the wary glance the woman gives him. He blinks, unsure of his first impression of her.

"A friend, eh?" She winks, sending an uneasy vibe through Jesse's body. "Kids these days. If I were you, I'd get her chocolate and a ring. You're all so ridiculous." She shakes her head disapprovingly. "You'd think a handsome lad like you would know what to get his girl." She mumbles as she punches in the amount in cash he gave her on the register.

"I— what?"

"And you!" She says, her voice aimed at a confused Beca. "A lady for Pete's sake! You should at least be helping out your poor brother with these choices. Geesh." The receipt prints out and is given to Jesse, who's just as astonished as Beca.

"We're not... She's not... But..."

"Thank you for the advice, ma'am. I'll make sure my _brother_ makes a better decision next time around." She gives her a pointed smile before the couple depart the store, annoyed.

"She thought we were siblings. I can't..." Beca shakes her head disbelieving.

"Who was she to assume that? It's rude. And I would never get my girl tableware." He scoffs, tightening his grip on the shopping back he was holding.

"Then what _would_ you get her, if I may ask?" She asks, batting her eyelashes, which cools him down a bit.

"You may not ask." He muses, making her frown. "All you need to know is that it is amazing and that she will absolutely love it, almost more than me. But, we all know that's impossible." He boasts, earning him a smack on the chest. "So, the mall closes at nine. We've got three more hours to kill. How's dinner sound?"

"Depends on where we're going."

"We're going to a fancy restaurant that requires a reservation to get in. Except, I didn't make one, so we're going to try to get in without one. Quick, make yourself look official."

He dusts off his jacket with his hands, pulls out some hand sanitizer and squirts some into his palms.

"You're ridiculous." She shakes her head, to which he straightens his imaginary bow tie. "Why do I even put up with you?"

"I'm irresistible." He wiggles his eyebrows, making her simultaneously roll her eyes and grin. He wraps an arm around her and they head to the restaurant located in the huge mall.

"Do you have a reservation, sir?" Jesse shakes his head. "Well then, I'll go see if there are any available tables. Just two?"

Beca nods and the man leaves. "See? Nothing to be afraid of."

"I thought he was gonna kick us out."

He comes back and ushers them through the silk curtains to their table in the corner of the restaurant. Like the gentleman that he is, he pulls her chair out for her and pushes her into the table. He takes his own seat across her, folding the cloth napkin into his lap.

"Wow, so fancy," she muses.

After a couple of minutes of flipping through the menu, they order their food and hand them to the fancy waitress.

"Dammit, I should've brought my fake I.D. I could go for a couple of glasses of wine right now."

He takes a sip of his water. "It's a good thing you didn't. I can't have you drunk while we watch _Anchorman 2_."

She gives him a deadpanned look. "You just won't give up, huh? We're not watching a movie, especially not at midnight. I'd rather catch some sleep than watch a stupid movie."

"Oh come on. You always fall asleep during your movications. It'd be a nice change if, you know, _didn't_."

"There's also the fact that there's a ton of work to be done tomorrow with setting up the stage and last-minute rehearsals. Oh, and of course, the secret santa thing. That'll just ruin everything."

"Grinch."

She rolls her eyes. "I never said that you weren't allowed. Go see it with Benji or someone else."

"But it'll benefit your movication!"

She shakes her head, unwilling to give in.

"How about _The Hobbit_? It's on at 9:30." He suggests. She sighs. "Isn't that thing like four hours long?"

"Fine, fine. I'll go see if one of the guys wants to see it." He grumbles.

"Thank you."

Their bread and soup come, giving pause to their conversation. She tears off a bit of her bread and chews it, savoring the flavor.

"So, what'd you get your secret santa? Am I allowed to know?"

"A _Star Wars_ snow globe."

"Let me guess... Benji?"

"Yup. I hope he doesn't already have it. I got it at this little nerd place at the main square. You'd love it."

"What, the snow globe or the store?"

"Hm, both." She smirks.

"I hope my present is as awesome as Benji's."

She rolls her eyes. "You're just going to have to wait and see. All I'll tell you is that it is very... You." She says, smiling.

"I really hope you like mine. I might have to switch mine out for a puppy or something after seeing you with those animals." He grins, remembering her obsessive behavior with the puppies and kittens in the store window. He wished that she acted like that more often, but he was perfectly content with his Beca as she was.

She leans back onto her chair. "You might, but then it'd be no surprise. I don't like surprises, so it might just work out for you. I'd love that golden corgi. Peter or Fred?"

"What about Bubbles? Cookie? _Buddy_?"

She crinkles her nose as her face contorts into a sour expression. "Ew, why would you ever? You're terrible!"

"They're better than _Fred!_"

"So, Peter it is."

"Peter is a rabbit, not a puppy." He points out, making her sigh.

"Dammit, you're right."

He takes a spoonful of soup into his mouth before speaking. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"You're pretty."

She blushes, unexpecting such an offhand comment. She tries to hide the redness by placing her hands on her cheeks, but it goes unnoticed by Jesse, who grins goofily. The waitress arrives to take away their appetizer dishes and replace them with their entrees. She digs into her pasta, while he feasts on his grilled cheese sandwich.

"I can't believe you ordered grilled cheese. We're at a fancy restaurant and you choose to order _that_."

* * *

Beca and Jesse are about to leave the mall when suddenly, Jesse remembers something.

"I forgot to get Nan something. And Kaia."

"Well, the mall's open for about another hour and a half. I think we can make it."

He starts heading for a toy store, but Beca stops him once she sees the Disney store. "Isn't Kaia's favorite movie _Tangled_?"

"How'd you know?" He asks, raising an eyebrow.

"She told me."

They enter the Disney store, which was bustling with kids and parents alike. They quickly spot the _Tangled_ merchandise, and immediately Jesse sees something he thought his niece would like. "She loves art. Fine arts, performing arts... She's great. My sister in-law is raising her so well." He holds up an art case set, gleaming with pride. She hears him mumble something about 'his future kid' and looks away, biting the inside of her cheek.

"She'll love it. If I got that for Christmas, I'd shit bricks."

He gives her a look. "Should I buy two? One for you?" He jokes.

With a roll of her eyes, she picks out a Rapunzel plushie to add along with the art case. They pay for the items and exit the store, finding themselves in the middle of the mall.

"That store we went to earlier, with the angry old lady? I think I saw something Nan would like in there. Except, I'm kinda scared to go back." He admits, making Beca chuckle.

"Maybe she left? Anyways," she suddenly comes up with a brilliant idea (well, in her mind, anyway), "we could totally play with her mind a little. Show her we're not sister and brother."

"I have a feeling that, that wouldn't be a very nice thing to do..."

"Why not?" She demands.

"Well, for one, she's old. And I take it that she isn't as laid back as my own Nan."

"It could go either way, you know."

"I don't think I wanna try. Sorry Becs." She lets out a frustrated sigh.

"Fine. But if she talks any more scrutinizing shit, I'm not holding back."

He scoffs. "You truly are America's sweetheart, aren't you?"

"I try." She smirks. They go back to the store, sighing in relief at the sight of the empty counter. Jesse looks through the various curios, trying to find the perfect one. He spots a hanging glass bird feeder, deciding it was just what she needed.

From the corner of her eye, Beca spots the old woman saunter back to the counter. She smirks, her devious idea brewing in her mind. "What's that for?"

"It's a bird feeder. She loves birds. Maybe they'll let her hang it outside her room." He says. She slowly runs a hand up his bicep, noticing the confused look in his eyes. "And, uh, she used to own a parrot. Its name was—" She presses her mouth onto his, shutting him up. He closes his eyes and leans into the kiss, while Beca opens an eye to see the old woman's reaction. She does nothing, failing to notice the heavy PDA going on in her store. Beca pulls away once air becomes a problem, slightly disappointed that the old woman didn't catch that.

"What was that for?" He asks, flustered. She shrugs innocently. "Well, anyways, its name was Ollie. He used to mimic everything—" She coughs, loud enough to capture the woman's attention. She wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him again, this time lighter and quicker. The old lady gasps.

"INCEST! INCEST!" She shouts, grabbing the full attention of everyone in the store. "Those two! INCEST!" She points a finger at an embarrassed Jesse and Beca. A young woman, probably around their age, appears from the back, noticing the startled senior citizen.

"Gran, are you okay? Do you want me to take over?" She says, tucking her brown hair behind her ear as she tries to calm her grandmother.

"INCEST!" She points again to the couple near the glass bird feeders. The brunette's head whips to their direction, squinting at their faces.

"Jesse? Jesse Swanson?" She says, taking a couple of steps closer to them. Beca, now confused, watches Jesse's face contort from an angry/frustrated, embarrassed one, to one of relieved recognition.

"Dani? Is that you?"

"You know this young man? Did you know that he is kissing his sister?! HIS SISTER!" The grandma yells. Dani brings a hand to her cheek, unsure of how to react to her grandmother's tantrum.

"I— I'm sorry, Jesse. Gran, I can assure you that she's not his sister. I would know." She muses, waving off her grandmother's raging mumbles. "Well, unless he's been hiding her for a very long time. But I doubt that."

Jesse takes the box that contained the bird feeder and walks over to the other brunette, who was beaming at him. Beca narrows her eyes, wondering who the fuck she was.

"Wow, I'd never once thought that I'd ever see you again, Jess." Dani says, smiling at him affectionately. Oh God, Beca thought to herself as she started to feel the swirling vortex of jealousy bubble in her stomach while the two embraced in a hug.

"Same goes for you. Wow. You look great."

Shit.

"Thanks, you too."

She coughs, trying to grab hold of their attention.

"So, was I right? Have you been hiding from me all these years as Jess's secret sister? I'm Dani, and you are...?" Dani asks, finally acknowledging the shorter brunette.

Beca gives the girl her signature tight-lipped, eyebrows raised expression. "I'm Beca, not Jesse's secret sister."

"Oh, so he does have one? You never told me!" Dani giggles, punching him lightly on the arm.

She wasn't allowed to do that. Only Beca's allowed to. She didn't like this feeling boiling inside of her, but she had no idea how to control it.

"That's because there isn't one," He chuckles nervously, noticing the daggers Beca was giving Dani. "Beca's my girlfriend. Nothing incest going on around here. Sorry for the confusion, miss." He apologizes to the older woman, who still seemed shocked and mad.

Dani scans Beca's outfit (sweatpants and a tank top underneath a jacket, unchanged since practice earlier in the day) and bites her lip, obviously judging her. "Oh."

"Dani and I were really good friends all through high school—"

"—We even went to prom together."

"...Yeah." Jesse awkwardly scratches the back of his neck, feeling the tension between the two girls. "Can I just buy this real quick? We'll be on our merry way."

"Of course! I'll use my employee discount, just for you." She grins, taking the box Jesse was cradling and ringing it up. He hands her exact change before she awkwardly invites herself into another hug with him. Beca watches uncomfortably before they leave the store.

"She seems... Nice. You know, until her inner bitch came out once you mentioned me."

"She's not all that bad." He tries to reason, failing by the look on her face. "We were just friends, really. That's it. She may or may not had a crush on me all through high school, but that's beside the point."

"You don't have to explain yourself. I'm just glad she gave you that employee discount of hers." She scoffs, the sarcasm oozing out of her skin.

"You aren't out of the bag, either, Becs. What was that stunt you pulled? With her grandmother? Didn't I tell you very specifically to _not_ do that?"

Beca wrinkles her nose, unhappy at how he was taking this. Had she not gone with her plan, there would've been no Dani or her screaming grandmother ready to kill somebody. "Yeah, well, I've learned my lesson. Karma's a bitch, and I don't even believe in that shit."

* * *

Somehow, he convinces her to watch the first Anchorman movie instead of dragging her to the theater to watch the second one. He claims it's essential for her movication, but her commentary speaks otherwise.

"The balls? You can't be serious." "..._Suits so fine they make Sinatra look like a hobo?_" "Hehe, what if his name was Ron _Maroon_." "I have this theory that if you let your hair grow out and that if you had a mustache, you'd look just like Will Ferrell."

His mouth gapes open at this one. "What?! There's no way."

"Dare ya to do both. You'll see, I'm always right." She snickers.

"You really shouldn't be drinking. Especially during movication time."

* * *

Ah, imagine Jesse and Beca try picking out baby names. I can only imagine their... Difference of opinions. Hahaha.

So guys, what'd you think of Dani? She's not coming back... Just curious to hear your thoughts.

What do you think Jesse got Beca? :)


	7. Six Pounds of Secret Santa Presents

I'm pretty sure the end of this chapter dips just a little into the rated-M material so if you can totally skip this chapter if you want. Anyways, I wrote the first part to show a little preview of what's going to happen in the next chapter, so... Enjoy? Sorry, it's late and it seems very rushed because, well, it is. Sorry guys, hope you like it anyways.

Disclaimer: I do not own any familiar songs, characters, movies, etc. that I mention below.

* * *

_On the sixth day of Christmas my weirdo gave to me..._

**Six Pounds of Secret Santa Presents**

* * *

_Let's do it tonight_

The girls take stand in their final poses, panting and sweating profusely in the arts center, where it was decorated in holiday decorations, and their backdrop was reused from the school's production of_ The Nutcracker._ They scramble off the stage as the Trebles and Harmonics take their places, allowing the girls a couple of minutes to get back on stage for their group performance of "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year". Fat Amy collapses behind the curtain, begging for some water.

"Amy! Hurry up and change! We're back on in five minutes!" Aubrey urges the limp blonde, nudging her with the toe of her stiletto heel. Fat Amy whimpers and mumbles something about being as "dry as a pommy's towel". Beca runs and throws her a water bottle, all the while struggling to get out of her high-waisted pants. Hangers flew around the room. Clothes were being tossed into the air. It was chaos.

They hear the other two groups start the song, indicating that the girls had only a minute left to quickly get changed and out on the stage with them. Beca straightens out her dress and pulls on her shoes and santa hat, leading the girls out onto stage.

_Toys galore scattered on the floor..._

Beca sings, blending in with the voices around her as they sang the rest of the song. Soon enough, the first part of the concert was over, leaving them with a ten minute intermission. Jesse walks up to Beca, offering her some of his water bottle, but she shakes her head and lifts up her own. She rubs her throat, trying to warm her voice up for their song.

"This is torture. I don't understand why you would ever organize such an event, especially with this line-up." She groans.

"Well, you can relax knowing this isn't exactly how it'll go tomorrow. The local acts, plus the emcee, aren't even here. It'll be longer and a lot more exciting, trust me." He says, rubbing her back soothingly. She crinkles her nose, still not liking the idea. "Our duet is coming up." He whispers in her ear, making her jump.

"Don't even mention it, asshole."

"Mention what?" Fat Amy appears, holding a slice of pizza in one hand and her santa hat in the other. "Gobbys? Cheeky root behind the curtain during the show?"

Jesse and Beca exchange a look, not wanting to know what their friend was talking about. "Er, nothing, Amy. Where'd you get the pizza?"

"Ordered it. Except, I called them, like, two hours ago so I got it for free. It's snowing cats and dogs out there." Fat Amy shrugs, then takes a bite out of said pizza.

"What?!" Jesse hustles to the exit to check and see if her statement was true. The snow hits his face as he opens the door, seeing that there were a few inches on the ground. "That's weird. It never snows this much."

"ONE MINUTE LEFT, LADIES!" Aubrey yells, and suddenly, backstage erupts in chaos. The girls pull on their outfits and scurry onto the stage, taking their places. After their song ends, the Trebles take their places, then the Harmonics, and finally, it's duet time. Everyone gathers in front of the stage, seating themselves for what they assumed would be a very interesting show. They sing, with Jesse putting his all into it and Beca putting no effort whatsoever. She sings with a straight face, but his goofiness gets the best of her and she finds herself smiling by the end, forgetting all the whistles and hollers that were coming from the audience.

_...Oh baby, it's cold outside_

The first to jump up is Chloe, who squeals and grins once they finish. The smile on Beca's face disappears, suddenly remembering that they actually just did that. Like, they _actually_ just did that. She puts on her straight face as her fellow aca-people clap wildly, while Jesse bows and waits for Beca to curtsy. She rolls her eyes at him, does a little curtsy, and they leave the stage. The Bellas, excluding Beca, file onto the stage and begin their last group song, with Beca joining in the back after around thirty seconds of vocal rest.

"Oh my God, you two were so adorable!" Chloe coos, pulling the brunette into a tight hug once the Bellas finish up, waiting for the Trebles to finish up their song so that they could all wrap up their dress rehearsal. "I can't wait until you actually do it tomorrow. Ugh, I can't handle it." She squeaks, making Beca smile just a tiny bit.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it more than I did."

"Oh come on, Beca! You totally loved it. Everyone could tell, even with that straight face in the beginning. Plus, you guys sound so good together. Let me tell you, your melody is, like, a total eargasm."

"Thanks, I guess." Beca snickers. The Trebles finish up their set, indicating that their finale was on. Their final song goes accordingly, with Jesse taking care of some things before he allows everyone to leave. By everyone, he means the Harmonics, who weren't taking part in the secret santa activity. They all gather around backstage, with the six pounds of presents sitting in the middle. Fold-out tables are put up, with pizza and a variety of junk food put atop. Jesse's busy with consulting the emcee, who just got there, leaving Beca to mingle with some of her peers. She sees some drinks and grabs herself a red cup, swallowing some before finding her way to Stacie, Fat Amy, and Chloe, each with their own cups of liquor.

"You know what, Beca? I like your boyfriend. He lets us have some fun before a big performance." Amy says, smiling with a dazed look in her eyes.

"Well, sorry, I don't want there to be another Aubrey moment the next time we're on stage."

"You have good intentions." Chloe nods, glancing to see if their blonde friend was nearby. She sighs in relief, spotting her chatting with Unicycle.

"Beca, you're gonna _love_ my present for you." Stacie strays off topic, winking at the smaller brunette.

"Aren't Secret Santas supposed to be secret?" Beca asks, raising an eyebrow.

Stacie shrugs, not caring. Suddenly, Jessica appears in front of them, her fist full of multi-colored bendy straws. "Pick one!"

They each do what they're told, and she walks away, offering them to the others.

"Aw shit! Chloe's got the short straw!" Amy yells, causing a wave of relieved sighs ring through the air. Chloe grins, jumping from her spot on her stool and brings it around the gigantic pile of presents, eager to give hers away.

"Everyone, please gather around! We're starting!"

Everyone does what their told and brings their chairs so that they circled the pile of presents. Chloe picks up hers and scans the faces around her, not finding the one she was intending to find.

"Where's Jesse?"

"I'm coming!" They hear him yell from behind the curtain. They take this opportunity to grab a couple snacks and refill their drinks before he pops around from the stage.

"Good. From your Secret Santa." She hands him her present and he unwraps it in front of everybody. "Do you like it?!" she asks, her blue eyes big and unwavering.

"It's awesome, thanks Chloe." He raises his two shot glasses up in the air, as well as a box of popcorn and two movie passes. He looks more closely at the glasses, loving The Grandfather theme.

"You're welcome. Beca told me that you're a movie buff and I figured you like that."

Beca nudges the ginger beside her, nodding her head at all the underaged people in the room. "Way to promote sobriety, Chlo."

"Oh shut the fuck up. Look at you!" she narrows her eyes at Beca, who was holding her drink firmly in her hands.

"Relax, she's just jealous. I'll share my wonderful new shot glasses with you, baby." Jesse grins, walking over to the two women. Beca rolls her eyes and pinches his arm, earning a yelp. "Okay, well I was Aubrey's Secret Santa, so here you go." He hands the blonde his carefully wrapped present.

"Oh, I love it! It matches my kitchen wallpaper." Aubrey beams, "thanks!"

Beca leans onto Jesse's side. "Should've gotten the cuckoo clock." she whispers, earning a slight shake of the head, "I'm positive that would've matched her entire house." He shakes his head slightly, amused at how she just wouldn't let it go.

Aubrey announces that she was Unicycle's Secret Santa. Beca laughs out loud when she sees what the ex-leader got the guy. He shows everyone his new helmet and knee pads, his face baffled at the thought of actually using those.

"Typical." she snorts. Aubrey glares at her from her spot next to Chloe.

They go around until eventually, Stacie receives her present, a set of manicure products from Lilly, and saunters over to Beca with her carefully wrapped present. With a mixture of uncertainty and nerves whirling around in her stomach, she cautiously begins to tear apart at the present. She sighs in relief. It was nothing more than a box for a perfume.

Suddenly, the lights begin to flicker and the power goes out. Some people scream, either in fright or excitement, while some groan.

Jesse turns his phone on under his chin so that his was the only face they could see in the darkness. "It's alright, we'll just have to wait for the power to come on..." he shouts over the explosion of chatter in the black room.

"Can we just fucking leave?" Someone asks, clearly not enjoying the holiday spirit.

"No, so shut up and stop whining," Beca yells back, all the while flipping the bird in the direction of his voice. "Now, Benji, this is yours." she smiles sweetly at him, using the light that leaked out of her phone to show. He smiles brightly at the snow globe and thanks Beca, instantaneously intrigued by the glass ball and its contents.

"This'll make my collection a hundred times better."

They go on with opening presents, with each person getting a couple phones illuminated in their direction as they opened their own. Beca figures it's the right time to smell her new bottle of perfume, since the spotlight wasn't staring her down. She opens the box in the darkness, feeling that it was previously opened judging by the tapeless flaps.

That's weird, she thought. She shrugs it off, figuring that Stacie probably spritzed some onto herself while she could, since it was something her friend would do. She pulls out the bottle, squinting in the little light they had, only to realize that it wasn't a bottle.

"What..." Suddenly, it dawns on her. She knew _exactly_ what it was. "Jesus, not another one." She groans, lowly enough for only those close enough to her could hear. She shoves it back into the box, hoping no one saw.

"Another what?" she hears Chloe ask beside her, poking her in the side.

"Nothing, Chlo."

The lights come back on just as Chloe opens her present, the last one of the bunch. Everyone cheers and runs to the liquor table. The only problem was that_ there was no liquor. _

_"Who took the booze?!"_

Everyone looks to a suspicious looking Fat Amy. "Uhh, I don't know what you're talking about..." she stammers, her eyes flickering from the exit to the inside of her jacket. With everyone's attention currently off in the distance, Beca doesn't realize that Stacie's face is up in hers once she turns back around.

"Soooo, do you like your present?" Stacie asks, a smug grin on her face.

"I already have one, but thanks."

"I've never seen this scent in your dorm, though, Beca..." Chloe snatches the box from Beca's hand. Beca tries taking it back, but Chloe turns the other way. She opens the box, her eyes widening and mouth grinning at the sight.

"Oh, yeah, Beca already has a vibrator. Got it for her birthday this year." She pipes, handing the box back to the mumbling Bella. "Nice packaging, by the way."

"You can never have too many friends, Beca."

"I'm perfectly fine with my current friend, thank you."

"Who's your friend?" Jesse asks, sitting down next to the stoic Beca.

The girls ignore him. "At least I was classy enough to hide it in a perfume box!"

"Because we're obviously keeping it PG here." Beca raises an eyebrow at Chloe, who shrugs innocently. "But, again, thanks Stace."

"He'll replace your old friend real fast. You'll see!" Stacie winks. She saunters away towards Donald, who came to help out like Aubrey and Chloe.

"Seriously, who's your friend?" Jesse asks again, still as clueless as ever. "Should I be concerned? Do I need to fight this guy?"

Chloe glances at Beca, a glint of amusement in her blue eyes. She stands up and walks towards Fat Amy, leaving the two alone. Beca pats his cheek before pressing a kiss onto it. "There's nothing to worry about."

"Well, okay, if you say so."

Their fingers interlace. "How about we leave and put those new shot glasses of yours to good use?" she smirks, mischief running through her eyes.

"And what ever do you mean, Miss Mitchell?"

"Tequila, limes, and salt. Just the two of us." She whispers into his ear, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. She bites her lip, almost too temptingly for him to refuse.

"Oh. I was hoping that we could watch _The Grandfather_ while I tell you all about it." She rolls her eyes, not enjoying his jokes at the moment. "But, your idea sounds much, much better. I'll just have to kick everyone out so I could lock up."

She pouts. "Not to sound like a needy bitch, but can't you make Benji lock up for once? I really, really,_ really_ need this after a day like today. Like, _a lot._" Her fingers start to trail up from his chest to his abdomen. Not only did she want to just leave, she was also feeling a bit... Heated, at the moment. She was losing patience by the second.

He gulps, and nods, taking her by the hand and throwing the building's key at Benji. "Thanks Benji!" Confused, Benji waves the two off as they run out the door, earning a loud whoop from their friends inside.


	8. Five Standing Ovations

So, here's the "program" for the winter concert. I've concluded that all of their songs are about three minutes minutes in length, except the Bellas ICCA Finals performance, which is almost four. Let's just pretend that the whole thing lasted from 6:30-8:00 P.M., so you can decide the length of each local act. I went to Glee's Christmas albums to help with the song selection, so if you guys want to, you can look up their versions of the songs to gain a little more visualization/vocalization of the whole thing. Also, for the the duet, the - between two lines represent first Beca singing, then Jesse, if that makes sense.

**ICCA Finals Performance- The Barden Bellas**  
**The Most Wonderful Day of the Year- The Barden Bellas, BU Harmonics, and Treblemakers**  
**Local Act #1**  
**Local Act #2**  
**Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree- The Barden Treblemakers**  
**Local Act #3**  
**My Favorite Things- The Barden Bellas**  
**Local Act #4**  
**Santa Baby- The BU Harmonics**  
**Local Act #5**  
**Jingle Bells- The Barden Bellas, BU Harmonics, and Treblemakers**  
**Local Act #6**  
**Local Act #7**  
**Let it Snow- The Barden Bellas**

**10 Minute Intermission**

**Deck the Rooftop- The Barden Bellas**  
**Local Act #8**  
**Jingle Bell Rock- The Barden Treblemakers**  
**Local Act #9**  
**All I Want for Christmas is You- The BU Harmonics**  
**Local Act #10**  
**Baby, it's Cold Outside- Beca Mitchell and Jesse Swanson**  
**Local Act #11**  
**Silent Night- The Barden Bellas**  
**Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer- The Barden Treblemakers**  
**Local Act #12**  
**Santa Claus is Coming to Town- The Barden Bellas, BU Harmonics, and Treblemakers**

Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of these songs, characters, movies, etc. that I mention.

* * *

_On the fifth day of Christmas my weirdo gave to me..._

**Five Standing Ovations**

* * *

Beca groans. It felt like there were little men punching her skull from the inside, and she could still taste the tequila in her mouth. She opens her eyes, surprised to see Jesse gone. Instead, there was a little note on his pillow.

_Beca,_

_GOOD MORNING WEIRDO! I, unfortunately, had to leave to take care of some last minute stuff for the concert, but I left you breakfast on my desk. If you're up by then, meet me for lunch around 12:30 and we can do one last rehearsal for the duet. If you aren't... I understand, I am happy that you got your sleep after a pretty crazy night. I guess I'll have to just eat my macaroni and cheese all by myself :(_

_See you soon, my Bella._

_Your lover,_

_Jesse_

She rolls her eyes at the letter, but finds herself smiling at his oddly sweet dorkiness. She takes his note and folds it neatly, taking it with her to his desk, where, sure enough, there was an empty bowl and a mini box of Froot Loops, and a banana and orange sitting on top. She slides the note into her bag that sat on his chair, and holds the sides of her head, moaning at the throbbing sensation that came whenever she moved. She reaches for a bottle of water and milk in his mini fridge and pours it into the bowl, cursing at herself for forgetting to put the cereal in first. She rubs her temples and reaches for her spoon, noticing a small pile of different vitamins sitting in its basin. She silently thanks Jesse as she pours the multicolored loops into the bowl of milk, sighing.

Jesse wasn't perfect, but he was pretty darn close. Beca didn't like it, but she certainly appreciated it. She takes out her phone, surprised to see that it was only 11:30. She pulls up her messages, tapping on his name.

To: The Weirdo

Where should I meet you for lunch?

She taps send and continues munching on the cereal, waiting for his reply.

_From: The Weirdo_

_Good morning! You're up earlier than I thought you would. The usual place for lunch?_

_To: The Weirdo_

_Sure. I feel like shit. Note: We're never doing body shots. Ever. Again. Tequila's a bitch._

_From: The Weirdo_

_Aww :( We definitely should ;) Last night was fun!_

Beca shakes her head, sipping the last of the milk in her bowl.

_To: The Weirdo_

_Okay, fine. Never doing it before a big performance. Can I not go tonight?_

Before tapping send, she takes a quick picture of herself pouting, with her nose crinkled and eyes big.

_From: The Weirdo_

_You're adorable. But, also hilarious, Mitchell. No._

She rolls her eyes and this time, she sends him a picture of herself flipping him off and a quick "fuck you". She throws her phone onto his bed and brings the empty bowl to the kitchen, where Benji was currently making some sort of card tower on the kitchen island.

"What're you doing there, Benji?" she asks, taking a seat next to the concentrated boy. He chews on his bottom lip, his hand shaking as he added another part of the tower onto the top. He sighs in relief, causing his work to topple over in a mess of floating cards.

"Nooo!" he cries, clutching his cheeks in horror. "Well, it doesn't really matter anymore, I guess." he slumps over the scattered cards, sweeping them off the counter with one hand and into another.

She frowns. "Dammit, it's all my fault, isn't it?"

"Oh no no no! It was mine! It has nothing to do with you, Beca!" he assures, scooping the cards into their box. "Are you excited for tonight?"

She snorts. "I can't wait."

"Oh. Well. I am! I'm excited to see your duet."

"Weren't you there yesterday?"

He shrugs. "Yeah, but I can't wait to _really_ see what you two will be doing. I know that's not what'll actually happen. Maybe the vocals, but not the performance. You sound great, by the way."

"Thanks. You aren't sounding too bad yourself, I heard that belt!"

Benji blushes. "Aw thanks Beca! Also thank you for the snow globe!"

"You don't already have it, I hope?" she asks. She catches the flicker of nervousness in his eyes, making her frown. "You do, don't you?"

"I didn't think I did! Honest! I can never have too many, though! They're all special." he smiles, hoping to make her happy.

A wave of deja vu comes over her. Suddenly, she remembers Stacie, and how yesterday she said almost the same thing. She purses her lips, giving the boy a straight smirk. "You know what, Benji? The world needs more people like you running around." she watches as the blood rushes to his cheeks again, making her laugh. "I have to get on and get ready to meet Jesse for lunch. I'll see you later!"

He waves goodbye as she retreats back to Jesse's room and takes a shower before leaving the Treble house to her own dorm.

* * *

It was amazing how just a few hours ago, when Beca had checked up on the girls, they were all either passed out, looking green, groaning in pain, and/or all of the above. While they weren't quite as hungover as Beca, they were still quite zombielike in their behavior and appearance. It was two hours until showtime, and with the help of group cardio and a lot of water, the girls were _at least_ functional. Thankfully, they still sounded great, and they all looked great in their costumes. It was just a matter of pulling it all together for the crowd. But first, the groups had some business to tend to.

Beca never quite realized how stressed Jesse was. It's not like he ever showed it, not until their lunch earlier when he began listing a million things per second. It was the first time she actually felt bad for always complaining about the whole thing. So, she decided to put something together for him. It was spontaneous, and so unlike her to do so, but she managed to plan a quick something to thank him for all of his work. She went to a bakery to order his favorite cake, and bought some balloons at the nearby party store. She even bought him a little extra present, just because he deserved it.

With Jesse currently away consulting the technical department, she calls the rest of the a cappella groups around the little fold out table, where the cake and balloons were tied to. Her present was hidden away in her bag, since she wanted to keep it privately between them. With everyone in on the surprise, she calls Jesse, telling everyone to shut up beforehand.

"Hello?"

"Hey, could you come down really quick? We have kind of an emergency. There's glass and blood everywhere. It's all over the stage."

"WHAT?!"

Before long, Jesse comes racing down the stairs, panicking. He heads straight for the stage, failing to notice everyone gathered backstage. Beca bites the inside of her cheek, trying not to laugh as he comes back from behind the curtain with a confused look on his face.

"You lied! There's no emergency..." He hangs up the phone, finally noticing everyone. "What's going on?" Beca grins and walks over to him, taking him by the hand to the front of the cake. "What's this?"

"We just wanted to say thank you for all of your hard work." she says, lighting up at the look of surprise and gratitude on his face.

"No matter how shitty all of the rehearsals have been!" Someone yells.

Everyone murmurs their agreement, making him chuckle. "Glad to hear you guys are loving the experience."

"But seriously, thanks dude, for putting this all together." One of the Trebles say, patting him on the back. Once again, everyone agrees and praises Jesse for his hard work. She can't fight the smile off his face as he gets flooded with compliments of gratitude. He offers to slice the cake and passes out paper plates to everyone who wanted a piece. Beca declines a plate when he comes and hands her one. Instead, she pulls him aside into the ladies dressing room.

"Thank you for organizing that. That was sweet of you to do." he says, grinning as he places his hands on her waist, pulling her closer to him.

She bites the bottom of her lip, trying not to smile. "Who said I was the one who planned that?"

"Who else would know to order an angel food cake instead of a regular one?"

"Could totally be a lucky guess."

He shakes his head and leans in to kiss her. She rises on her toes, inviting his lips onto hers. The kiss was gentle. It was passionate, but only for a minute. He pulls away before her lips latch onto his again. They stay like that for a minute up until air becomes a problem.

"Look, I'm sorry that I've been kind of an asshole about the whole concert thing, especially about the duet, and I didn't realize how much you were doing for this. You deserve much more than cake." she pauses to read the playful expression on his face before digging into her bag for the present. "And, probably more than this too." She hands it to him. He raises his eyebrows and opens the envelope with the little bow on it. His smile grows huge, so huge that Beca almost can't stand it, as he picks her up and kisses the tip of her nose.

"YOU GOT US TICKETS TO SEE ANCHORMAN 2 TOMORROW!" She rolls her eyes at how exaggerated his excitement was. He puts her down. "But... Aren't you leaving tomorrow? Are you trying to tell me something?"

"Check the time, nerd."

"Oh." he says, noticing the Sunday matinee time. "So you _can_ see it with me!" He raises a fist in victory, ignoring her eye roll.

They hear a knock at the door. "I hate to break up whatever you two are doing in there, but people are starting to show up, and we've got to get ready." They hear Chloe chirp from the other side. Jesse gives her one last look before she kicks him out, allowing the girls to come rushing in.

* * *

By the looks of it, it looked like their caroling worked; the arts center was nearly full. No one expected this much of a turn out, it made everything seem much more significant. The girls, after having just done their finals performance, quickly shimmy out of their clothes and into the holiday-wear. They only had two minutes to change, and it was complete and utter madness in the dressing room. Beca crosses her fingers, hoping nobody does something to make them look stupid on stage. She hears the crowd laugh at the emcee's joke, then the music starts playing. From her spot backstage, Beca hears one of the BU Harmonics start the song off.

_We're on the island of misfit toys_  
_Here we don't want to stay_  
_We want to travel with Santa Claus in his magic sleigh_

As she's quickly bobby-pinning her Santa hat onto her head, she picks up Benji's voice take over the stage.

_A pack full of toys means a sack full of joys_  
_For millions of girls and for millions of boys_  
_When Christmas day is here_  
_The most wonderful day of the year_  
_A jack-in-the-box waits for children to shout_

Aubrey urges the girls out of the dressing room to the wings, waiting for their entrance on the stage. From her place in the front of the line, she sees a BU Harmonic take over the mic.

_"Wake up! Don't you know that it's time to come out!"_

More singers begin to join her.

_When Christmas day is here_  
_The most wonderful day of the year_

On her count, Beca steps onto the stage, with the rest of the Bellas following. They quickly join in on the choreography. She catches Jesse's eye as he begins singing his verse, riding a scooter he had gotten from his house the other day.

_A scooter for Jimmy_

Aubrey takes over the mic, cuddling a doll that was set on a giant cardboard box, wrapped to look like a present.

_A dolly for Sue_

Willy, the leader of the Harmonics, begins to sing, with Aubrey singing the following verse. Everyone joins in on the last verse, dancing around the stage like children.

_The kind that will even say "How do you do?"_  
_When Christmas day is here_  
_The most wonderful day of the year_

Chloe taps on Benji's shoulder. He pretends to act surprised, singing along with her.

_How'd you like to be a spotted elephant?_  
_Or a choo-choo with square wheels on your caboose!_  
_Or a water pistol that shoots... jelly?_  
_We are all misfits!_

They all shout. Beca lurks in the back, vocalizing with everyone else. They end the song, with Emily, one of the freshmen Bellas, as the standout voice.

_If we're on the island of unwanted toys_  
_We'll miss all the fun with the girls and the boys_  
_When Christmas day is here_  
_The most wonderful, wonderful_  
_Wonderful, wonderful_  
_Wonderful day of the year!_

The audience claps wildly, assuring everyone that their first number, other than their finals number, was a success. They run off the stage to either wing, high-fiving each other. The emcee introduces the next act, giving them longer time to get ready. The Bellas had four more acts to wait out until their next performance, relieving the girls greatly. They change into their holiday dresses, looking like little girls going to church on a Sunday morning. They slip on their white satin gloves and re-do their makeup, lengthening their lashes and smearing on red lipstick. They match pitch a couple times, warming up their voices in preparation for their next song. Aubrey hands everyone red bows to put in their hair. Soon enough, the two local acts finish up and the Trebles take the stage. Beca peeks at the boys from the wings, smirking at their tacky Christmas sweaters. Sure enough, they begin to 'rock' around the Christmas tree set in the middle of the stage, throwing around plastic ornaments and empty present boxes. She hums along with their vocalization, both because she needed her voice to stay warmed up, as well as the fact that it was so damn catchy. The audience falls into the same trap, clapping along with the boys. They end their number with a standing ovation, much to their surprise. She meets Jesse once they step off stage, handing him a water bottle.

"Nice sweater." she comments, poking his chest.

He shrugs. "Nice dress."

"I look like the combination between an old prude and a little girl. I don't know why I let Aubrey choose the costumes."

"You look—"

"Obnoxious? Repulsive?"

"I was going to say attractive."

"Should I be creeped out right now?" she teases, making him laugh. The local act on stage, a girl with a guitar singing some sort of blues-y Christmas song, begins to wrap up her song, prompting Beca to gather her girls around her for their next song. She waves Jesse off, who tells her to break a leg, and as soon as the girl comes off stage, the Bellas take their places behind the curtain, which opens up once the emcee announces them as the next act. Chloe starts it off, her face beaming.

_Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens_  
_Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens_  
_Brown paper packages tied up with strings_  
_These are a few of my favorite things_

Jessica steps forward and hooks arms with Chloe, beginning her solo.

_Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels  
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles_

They hold hands, beaming as the begin to harmonize.

_Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings_  
_These are a few of my favorite things_

Beca steps up with her mic, with Sam, the other new Bella, following behind. They pretend like they're having a fancy conversation, their hands raised as if they had wine glasses sitting in them. Beca twirls in her white dress, trying not to vomit at how cheesy the choreography was.

_Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes_  
_Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes_

Just as the two before them, Beca and Sam hold hands as they begin to harmonize.

_Silver white winters that melt into springs_  
_These are a few of my favorite things_

Beca switches partners so that Jessica was partners with Sam, and she was with Chloe. The four sing at once, ignoring the other girls twirling and singing around them.

_When the dog bites_  
_When the bee stings_  
_When I'm feeling sad_  
_I simply remember my favorite things_  
_And then I don't feel so bad_

They dance with the girls, allowing a short interlude that show off the background vocalists. They restart the song, however reversing the roles so now that Beca sang Sam's part, and Jessica's with Chloe's. They end the song holding hands, and without a standing ovation. They exit the stage, panting after twirling and dancing. This time, Jesse greets her with her own water bottle.

"You did great out there!" he says as she chugs down the rest of the water. She could see it, though. She could see the smug smile on his smug little face, waiting for just the right moment to brag. Sure, she was happy they got a standing ovation. They deserved it. She still hated that smug smile.

"You guys did, too."

"Yeeeeah." he says, dragging the word out coyly. "You know, I don't think I'll ever get over you singing 'Don't You'. Ever." he says unexpectedly, making her smile. Damn it, Swanson. It's all a part of his plan, she convinces herself. She wipes the smile off her face and pats his chest, shouldering past him to get ready for their next number. She hears him chuckle behind her, and suddenly she feels his hand wrap around her waist, pulling her back to him. "You deserve a million standing ovations on that solo alone." he whispers into her ear. She purses her ear and turns to face him, rolling her eyes.

"Good try, Swanson."

"Why, what are you talking about?" he asks, his eyes big, yet undeceiving. She shakes her head and walks away, entering the ladies' dressing room to find that the girls were all complaining.

"We need to crush those Trebles." Fat Amy yells, her fist pumping into the air as everyone shouts in agreement.

Beca raises her eyebrows, a coy smile on her face at the riot in the dressing room. The competition was _on_.

* * *

The first part of the concert was, thankfully, over, however the Bellas were still without their standing ovation. The Trebles' performance of Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree still proved to be the one to beat, which fueled the competitiveness between the Bellas and the Trebles. Some of the members were assigned to arrange the props on stage, which included a large chair that Santa was to sit in after the show was over. Beca drags the sack of presents (merchandise with their faces and logos on them) over to the chair, swatting away the floating glitter clouds that kept appearing from above her. Suddenly, Jesse plunks himself onto the chair, letting out a satisfied sigh.

"What would you like for Christmas, Miss Mitchell?" he asks, pulling her body onto his lap.

"I want to sleep and eat a burger because I'm still feeling the after effects of last night." she groans, rubbing her temples. She starts humming the tune to "Santa Baby", which the Harmonics were singing to just over fifteen minutes ago.

"It's not like it matters, you're not on the nice list, anyways." he chuckles.

"And why not?" she demands with a wry smile .

"You aren't exactly a saint, Miss Mitchell."

"How so?" she asks, leaning slowly over the armrest of the chair.

"Well, last night was a pretty admirable example of how naughty you've been this past year." he smirks.

"Hmm." she licks her lips, leaning closer so that she was mere inches away from his face. "I thought that was a nice gesture."

"Ew, get a room." Someone yells. Beca scrambles off of Jesse's lap, embarrassed.

"Jesse, we need your help!" another person calls. He pecks a kiss onto her cheek and follows the voice, shooting her an apologetic look. Beca turns around, surprised to see Lilly staring directly at her.

"Beca, Amy's making faces again." Lilly points to Fat Amy, who was clutching the curtains so that only her face was shown.

"Amy!"

* * *

_Deck the halls with boughs of holly _  
_Fa la la la la la la la la _  
_Tis the season to be jolly _  
_Fa la la la la la la la _  
_Don we now our gay apparel _  
_Fa la la la la la la la la _  
_Troll the ancient yuletide carol _  
_Fa la la la la la la la la _

Cynthia-Rose, Fat Amy, and Emily sing simultaneously, shaking their hips as the Bellas around them move perfectly in sync around them. They prance to the back so that Beca revealed herself behind them.

_Up on the rooftop reindeer paws _  
_Out jumps good ol' santa clause _  
_Down through the chimney with lots of toys _  
_All for the little ones Christmas joys _

Aubrey and Ashley pop up from behind her, mic in one hand and Santa hat in the other.

_Ho ho ho _  
_Who wouldn't go? _  
_Ho ho ho _  
_Who wouldn't go? _

Chloe and Stacie move to the front of them, with Stacie split-leaping to earn a gasp of excitement from the audience. Stacie puckers her lips and winks at the crowd, who were thoroughly enjoying their performance.

_Up on the rooftop click click click  
Down through the chimney with good St. Nick _

The three who started the song off come back to the front, singing the next couple lines.

_Deck the halls he's up on the rooftop (3x)_

Chloe and Stacie make their way to the front again, their backs to each other as they begin singing.

_First comes the stocking of little Nell  
Oh dear Santa fill it well  
Give her a dolly that laughs and cries  
One that will open and shut her eyes _

Finally, Beca gets to sing her solo.

_Don we now our gay apparel  
Fa la la la la la la la la  
Troll the ancient yuletide carol  
Fa la la la la la la la la _

Cynthia-Rose, Aubrey, and Chloe begin to harmonize the next few verses, which repeat over and over. The crowd was going crazy, making Beca and everyone else confident about their performance. They finish the song strong, their voices blending perfectly with one another. Finally, they receive a standing ovation, satisfying the girls. They exit the stage in victory. Unicycle reports the recent standing ovation to the guys in the dressing room, causing an explosion of "boos" from inside. The Trebles enter the stage after one of the local act's, this one a group of dancers, remove themselves off it. They take their places, yearning for another explosive performance to out-do the Bellas.

Donald and Jesse are the only ones with solos throughout the entire number, each taking turns between each verse.

_Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock_  
_Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring_  
_Snowing and blowing up bushels of fun_  
_Now the jingle hop has begun_

_Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock_  
_Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time_  
_Dancing and prancing in Jingle Bell Square_  
_In the frosty air._

_What a bright time, it's the right time_  
_To rock the night away_  
_Jingle bell time is a swell time_  
_To go gliding in a one-horse sleigh_

Beca lets out a frustrated huff. She wasn't sure whether she was fueled on competitive fire or the fact that Jesse was turning her on to the max. Not only did she enjoy his voice, but also the way he was moving those hips..._  
_

"Damn, Beca. Lucky you." Stacie winks, nudging her with her elbow. She clenches her jaw and continues watching, wanting to die. They step off the stage, not earning the standing ovation like they did with their previous arrangement.

"You poor thing, you look so bothered." Stacie pities, frowning at the sight. "You know, you have, like, three acts before you're back on stage. He could totally unwind you, you have the time." she reasons, but Beca shakes her head. Instead, she leaves, mumbling unclear stuff under her breath, and changes into her next costume for their duet. She's busy re-doing her makeup when she hears a knock on the door. She concludes that it could only be Jesse, since everyone else was on the wings, waiting for their performance.

But, for safety measures, she asks anyways. "Who is it? You can come in."

"Becs? It's Jesse." The door swings open, and right in front of her stands Jesse, dressed in a suit. The red on his tie matched the color of her dress, along with the ribbon tied around her hair. "It's duet time!" She doesn't answer, instead taking her sweet time applying her eyeliner. He comes up behind her and bends his knees a little so that he was at eye level with her. "You nervous?"

She shakes her head, still trying to calm down the pent-up tension. She clears her throat and turns to look him straight in the eye. "I'm just ready to get this over with, nerd."

They do a few vocal exercises to warm up their voices, when finally they hear the emcee announce to the audience that there was "a very special treat" for them. Beca sighs, unsure of how she'll handle the performance, still wound up.

Jesse enters the stage from the right, with her on the left. She looks into his eyes, suddenly feeling nervous that she'd mess up. Even though she's done solos in their numbers, she had always had the knowing comfort of the girls' backup vocals for when she made some sort of mistake. This time, it was just her and Jesse, and the piano man, and if she messed up, they'd notice.

The piano starts playing. Jesse shows off some of his "smooth" moves, and it takes all her strength to not roll her eyes and scoff at him. She leans against the armrest of the love seat that was brought out especially for this number, and brings the mic to her mouth.

_I really can't stay..._

She stands up suddenly and grabs her coat off the sofa. He stands on the other side of her, attempting to get a peek at her. His feet bring him in front of her, and his hands spread open so that it looked like he was inviting her in for a hug.

_But baby, it's cold outside_

_I've got to go away - Baby it's cold outside_

She gives him a wry smile, denying his invitation, as she whips around to stroll across the stage, away from him. He crosses his arms over his chest, pretending to shiver at the cold vibe she was giving off.

_This evening has been - Been hoping that you'd drop in_  
_So very nice - I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice_

He runs up to her, taking her hands into his as he swings them around gently. She rolls her eyes and takes her hands away, placing them on her hips. She shakes her head, smirking.

_My mother will start to worry - Beautiful, what's your hurry?_  
_Father will be pacing the floor - Listen to the fireplace roar_

Suddenly, he does_ that hip thing_. It's subtle, but she sees it, and she certainly feels it. The tension that was just beginning to cool off comes rushing back. She bites her tongue in fear a string of curse words would fall out of her mouth. Instead, she avoids eye contact and continues singing.

_So really I'd better scurry - Beautiful, please don't hurry_

He notices her sudden change of character, and, in that moment, it all clicks together in his brain. He spins around so that he was now behind her and places his hands on her waist. He feels her stiffen at his touch. She fights hard to control her breathing as he continues to close the space between them, smirking. She turns around to face him, pushing on his chest while looking him dead in the eye.

_Maybe just a half a drink more - Put some records on while I pour_

They sit on the sofa again. Jesse's still smirking, not making her feel any better about the current situation at hand.

_The neighbors might think - Baby, it's bad out there_  
_Say, what's in this drink? - No cabs to be had out there_

She stands up. He shrugs, mimicking her movement.

_I wish I knew how - Your eyes are like starlight now_  
_To break this spell - I'll take your hat, your hair looks swell_

She blows a puff of air upwards, blowing the stray hair out of her face. He takes a step forward, reaching to tuck it behind her ear. She looks away at that sly little smirk, unsure of how to handle this. She plays with his tie, momentarily distracting herself throughout the interlude. They were in front of an audience, filled with children to senior citizens, and it was getting more and more difficult to control herself. "Fuck you, Jesse," her eyes say. He reads into them, trying not to laugh out loud.

_I ought to say no, no, no_

She sings, waving a finger in front of his face. He raises his eyebrows, taken aback at her sudden playful vibe considering the last couple seconds.

_Mind if I move in closer?_

He takes a step dangerously close to her, brushing his fingers against her waist.

_At least I'm gonna say that I tried - What's the sense in hurting my pride?_

He feigns hurt, clutching the spot over his heart. She rolls her eyes, nevertheless still fighting to keep her hands off him. He grabs her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers.

_I really can't stay - Baby don't hold out_

She shakes her head, releases his hand, and turns the other way. He swiftly glides around her so that he faced her again.

_Ah, but it's cold outside_

They both sing, their voices perfectly harmonizing with each other's. They maintain eye contact, both calming Beca and killing her at the same time. He takes his hand in hers once more, but this time she doesn't pull away. She breaks the contact once she begins singing the next couple verses, alternating with Jesse.

_I've got to get home - Oh, baby, you'll freeze out there_  
_Say, lend me your coat - It's up to your knees out there_  
_You've really been grand - Thrill when you touch my hair_  
_Why don't you see - How can you do this thing to me?_

"Oh, the irony of that verse," she cracks to herself. Suddenly, he does the thing _again_. She clenches her jaw before releasing them, and her grip on his hand tightened. She sees him wince and mentally pats herself on the back.

_There's bound to be talk tomorrow - Think of my life long sorrow_  
_At least there will be plenty implied - If you caught pneumonia and died_

She's about to flip him off when the audience laughs. Alarmed, Beca glances at the many faces of the crowd, embarrassed that she forgot they were even there for just a second.

_I really can't stay - Get over that hold out_

He leads her back onto the love seat, pulling her onto his lap before they start to sing together, at the same time, for the rest of the song.

_Ah, but it's cold outside_  
_Oh, baby, it's cold outside_  
_Oh, baby, it's cold outside_

Immediately, the audience goes crazy and give them a standing ovation. The two stand up, about to bow, when Jesse delivers a quick peck to her cheek. She feels the heat of the blush begin to rise up her neck, feeling both ridiculous, for having just performing that in public, and relieved, for getting it over with. They bow and exit the stage, finding themselves surrounded by their peers. They shower them in silly comments, which annoys Beca, but seems to fuel Jesse. She finds her way out of the crowd, dragging him with her.

"Fuck you, Jesse."

He laughs and waggles his eyebrows. "I can't help it."

"I hate you."

The cocky grin on his face disappears as he leans in to kiss her. She takes in his lips, feeling the tension melt away just a little. He pulls away, much to her disappointment.

"You were perfect out there, Miss Mitchell." he grins, bringing her closer to him.

"You're such a nerd." she shakes her head. "I wouldn't say you were perfect, but you were... You were far from it." she jokes. He gasps, pouting afterwards.

Suddenly, an empty flying water bottle hits her butt, making her turn around. "You can smash your man's back out after the concert. Next act starts in five minutes, flatbutt!" Fat Amy yells, then drags her way over to Beca, grabs her arm, and takes her to the dressing room.

* * *

Finally, the concert finishes in just under half an hour after the duet. Surprisingly, the Bellas get a standing ovation for their rendition of "Silent Night", and not-so surprisingly, their final number receives one as well. The Santa Claus impersonator comes up onto the stage and sits in his chair, taking the children on his laps and handing them the merchandise from the sack of presents. Outside the auditorium, the group members were taking pictures and signing autographs. Beca stands a couple of yards over from Jesse, and from the corner of her eye she sees girls, mostly teenagers, drape themselves over him. She tries not to let it get to her, since she was totally _not_ that person. She smiles distractedly at the camera while audience members rotate in and out beside her. She's too distracted to notice a little boy tugging at her dress, with a scowl on his face.

"Er, yes?"

He gestures for her to kneel so that he could whisper something in her ear privately. Confused, Beca obeys.

"I'm mad."

Beca blinks and stares at the little boy, concerned. "About what, bud?"

"You're my girlfriend, that boy can't kiss you!" he says angrily, stomping his foot onto the ground as he points to Jesse. She tries to not laugh out loud, not wanting to displease the little boy.

"I'm so sorry, my son thinks everyone's his girlfriend." his mother apologizes, shooting him a disapproving look. "You were spectacular, by the way. A cappella is really something, isn't it?"

Beca smiles at the little boy, now afraid to even look at her. "It's a lot of hard work, but it can be fun."

"Well, you guys certainly make it look effortless. Great job out there!" the woman and her kid wave her off, leaving her to the dwindling crowd of people in the lobby.

"Now, who can't I kiss?" Jesse interrupts, wrapping an arm around Beca's shoulders once everyone leaves.

"You heard that?"

"Well, the kid was pretty loud." he muses.


	9. Four-hundred Frustrated Passengers

Sorry for the delay... I thought I had something to work with but I had to do some research and stuff and I had to scramble a different plot up that would make sense. I wrote, like, three different scenarios before finally settling on one and going with it hahaha. Plus, you know, regular excuses such as school and laziness may or may not have factored in the progress of this story, heh.

I also apologize for the lameness that is this chapter. And the title doesn't make sense, but we'll just go with it.

Disclaimer: I do not own any familiar songs, characters, movies, etc. that I mention below.

* * *

_On the fourth day of Christmas my weirdo gave to me..._

**Four-hundred Frustrated Passengers**

* * *

After having fallen asleep several times during the movie, Jesse finally gave up on keeping her awake and let her snooze for the remainder of the film. He parks in front of Beca's dorm and follows her inside the building, leaning against the door frame as she falls onto her bed.

"Pack for me, please?" she asks, her voice muffled against her pillows. He snickers and sits next to her motionless body.

"Do you _really_ want me to do that?"

She lifts her head off her pillow, narrowing her eyes at his wiggling eyebrows.

"Freak. Get out of my room."

Instead, he decides to throw his body over hers, leaving her little room to move. She shrieks at the sudden weight on her body and attempts to push him off of her. He refuses to budge, whistling along to casually "Jingle Bells". She shoves a hand up his shirt and pinches his side, _hard_. He yelps and rolls off of her, rubbing his now very sore side.

"Thanks a lot, Beca. I probably have a bruise there, now." He whines. He lifts his shirt up slightly, revealing an angry red mark.

"It's not like it matters. You won't be showing skin in a long time, anyways." She smirks, noticing the frustrated puff of air escape his cheeks. Sighing, she gets herself off the bed and kicks the duffel bag from underneath.

"Shouldn't you be packing, too?" she asks.

"Are you kicking me out?"

She gives him a look. "You're getting so good, Swanson. You know me so well."

"Of course I do." She sticks out her tongue at him as he removes himself off her mattress. "I'll pick you up later? We'll get some dinner and I'll drop you off at the airport, okay?"  
She nods and he shuts the door, leaving the room to herself. Sighing, she lugs her drawers out of their places and onto the floor, dumping their contents into her duffel. As she's sorting out which clothes to bring with her, she comes across an unfamiliar fabric among her pile of shirts. She grabs it and examines it. It's not until a couple of seconds later when she realizes that it's not hers, but rather, Jesse's. She can't quite remember _when_ exactly she acquired it, but she chooses to pack it with her anyways. If he wanted it back, he'd be asking for it by now.

Thinking about leaving for Maine made her unhappy. Her father would be there, along with the step-monster. She already planned on spending Christmas Eve with them and her father's side of the family, and the following day with her mother. There was bound to be some stupid conflict between her mother and her great-aunt Carol, and her cousins would all talk about their lives beyond college, boring her to death. Someone was going to break the news that they were pregnant or getting married or both, and it would be no surprise to her since it happens every year. Then, her aunt Liz would try to prove that she was sober by holding one of those said babies while cooking, and her uncle Jack would continue to complain about how the food tasted disgusting. Her grandpa Abe, her mom's dad, would be the only worthwhile person to listen to with all of his crazy stories.

Her flight leaves at 8:30 at night, and with her duffel fully packed and five hours to spare, she absent-mindedly works on some mixes for the time being. It's until she feels her headphones slowly being pulled off her head when she realizes someone was with her. She instinctively elbows the figure behind her and readjusts her headphones, not bothering to look behind her. She knows _exactly_ who it is.

"Ow! What's next, you push me down the stairs? Throw bricks at my head?" Jesse groans, his hand going up to his chest where he was elbowed.

"The possibilities are endless, Swanson." she shrugs with a wry smile on her face. "You know I hate it when you do that!"

"Sorry. There's no need for violence, though."

"What can I say? It's instinct."

He rolls his eyes at her as she takes off the headphones, handing it to him. "Listen."

He obliges and hangs it over his ears. He listens for a minute or so before the smile settles on his face. "It sounds awesome, Bec. How long have you been working on this one?"

She checks the time on her laptop, surprised at how short time went by. "About an hour?"

"Wow. That's unbelievable. Are you sure?"

"I don't know, I can't really tell time." she deadpans.

He stares at her, dumbfounded. "...Are you serious?"

She rolls her eyes and takes the headphones off around his neck and packs it into her bag. "Are _you_?"

He furrows his eyebrows, making it hard for her to not smile.

"You're so dumb."

"But I'm _your_ dumb." he goofily grins, scooping her up from her spot on the floor and throwing on the bed. She yells a couple of curse words before he collapses on top of her. He kisses her with his body hovering over hers. She thumps her fists against his firm chest, slowly succumbing to the kiss.

"Are you ready?" he asks after gently pulling his lips away from hers.

She shrugs. "In terms of packing, yes. If you're talking about leaving, no. I'm not sure how I'll be able to handle my family for two weeks."

"You've done it before." he reasons, laying down on his side next to her.

"It gets harder and harder every year."

"You'll hang in there, I promise." he nuzzles his nose into her hair for a moment before pulling away, turning her head towards him with his thumb. "You know, it'll really suck not having you around for two weeks."

"You're forbidden to visit. My family," she shakes her head disapprovingly before continuing, "they're psycho."

He scans her up and down, chuckling. "I'm guessing you're the most prominent of these psychos?"

She hits him playfully, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, Jess. Don't even try any of that surprise bullshit. Skype is safer."

He chuckles, finding her wariness about her family amusing. "What makes you think I would visit?" She gives him a look, making him laugh out loud. "Okay, fine. Maybe at least once. I just can't stay away from you," he pauses and looks at her, whose roll of the eyes makes him snort, before pulling himself off the bed, "So, you're all packed. I guess we should get your stuff out into the trunk."

She nods, gets off the bed, and rolls her carry-on bag out the door and into his car, with him and her duffel following closely behind. She goes back into the building after stuffing her bags into his car, leaving him inside the car to lock up and check everything. She makes sure everything's unplugged and that nothing was left behind. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees the shiny wrap of Jesse's present peeking underneath her bed. Sighing a breath of relief, she lugs the box that contained the movie poster and rushes out the door, locking it on her way out. She opens the trunk and places it atop her luggage.

Once she gets into the car, he waggles his eyebrows, making her raise her own. "Is that gigantic box for me?"

She blinks, unfazed by the entirely too excited Jesse. "It sure is." The grin on his face grows larger. "Don't get too excited, though. It's a Russian doll type of thing, you know, box into box into box..." she smirks, shrinking the smile on his face.

"You're the sweetest, love." he says sarcastically.

She cringes. "Don't ever say that again."

"Why not? You're my _lover_."

She groans, bracing herself for the next hour and a half to the city. He turns on the radio, humming to the holiday tunes streaming out of the speakers. She looks out the window, sighing. As much as she hated admitting it, she knew there was one thing that majorly effected her feelings towards going back home. She glances at Jesse, who was concentrating on the road in front of him. She closes her eyes, with the low hum of his voice lulling her to sleep.

* * *

After having dinner, and Jesse's excessive rambles during the majority end of the car ride, the dreaded moment comes. He grabs her a luggage cart after parking next to her gate. He pushes her present for him onto the backseat of his car, all the while fetching his present for her. She loads her bags onto the cart, waiting for him. He hands her a large box, sighing deeply.

"Alright, Becs. If you want, I could just send you this through the mail to make things easier for you. I put it in a bag in case, but if you want me to send it to you I'll wrap it." he says, smiling a little. She shakes her head and takes the gift bag, testing its weight in her hands.

"It's not that heavy. I can just take it on the plane with me, it's no problem." she says, setting it atop her small stack of baggage.

He scratches the back of his neck, the smile on his face gradually fading. "So, I guess it's that time of year again where I have to give you your movication through video chat." he chuckles lightly, gently taking her hands and lacing his fingers with hers. She nods, giving him a bleak smile. She hated this. She'd only be gone for two weeks. She didn't know why leaving for break sucked so much this time around. He senses her hesitance, and holds her hands a little tighter.

"Becs, I'm gonna need you to promise me something before you leave."

Curious, she looks into his eyes, searching for any sort of give away. "What is it?"

"I need you to promise me, like, really promise."

"Well, what is it? I can't promise anything unless I know what it is I'm promising." she laughs a little, chewing the bottom of her lip.

"Promise me..."

"Get on with it, I'm gonna miss my flight." He gives her a look, making her roll her eyes. "Okay, fine. I promise..."

"You promise not to open your present until Christmas?"

She looks at him incredulously. He returns her stare, his eyes serious. "Are you being for real?"

"Beca! Of course I am!" he exclaims.

She sighs, rolling her eyes. "I promise."

"Promise what?"

She playfully glares at him. "I promise not to open my present until Christmas. There, you happy?"

Satisfied, he nods. They stay silent for a while as time ticks by, in the midst of a busy airport crowd. "Well, I've got to go before I get a ticket. I'll see you soon, okay?"

The weight in her chest grows heavier as she nods. Suddenly, their noses glide past each other, their lips attaching, moving slowly. Their eyes meet, smiling, but only for a second before closing. Her hands meet the back of his neck, stroking the soft hair along it, while his arms encircle her tiny waist comfortably. Her breath catches as he pulls away softly, his own breath warm and sweet against her lips. He leans back in, holding her tighter and closer to him. She can feel the beat of his heart slow while hers quickens. One hand snakes up to her cheek, his fingers gently brushing over her rosy flushed skin. It takes a moment for them to regain their composure after releasing each other. His hand joins the other, fully enveloping the brunette.

"I'm going to miss you, Becs." he mumbles, his eyes intensely looking into hers, "Even if it is only two weeks. I'll miss your snoring." he jokes, however the intensity unchanging. She refrains from weakening under his gaze and gives him a small smile.

"I won't miss how annoying you are, that's something I'm positive about."

He gasps, mocking hurt. "That's harsh, I'm not_ that_ annoying."

She laughs, moving in closer to him so she could kiss him. "I'll miss you, too, weirdo. Thanks for dropping me off."

Regrettably, he finally let's go of her. Immediately, she wishes his arms were around her once again, instead of inside his pockets. "I hope my face is as attractive as it is in real life on a computer screen." he smiles wryly. She rolls her eyes, enveloping him in another hug. She looks up and kisses him gently, pulling away only seconds later.

"Have fun, nerd. Say hi to Kaia for me." she says, pushing the cart towards the automatic doors. He nods and gives her one last kiss, ruffling her hair, before he's watching her disappear into the terminal. She looks back to him waggling his fingers and blows him a sarcastic, alike to the one she gave him at their first riff-off. He pretends to catch it, raising his fist in success. She shakes her head and flips him off, laughing as her nerd pouted from afar. He finally leaves, making her sigh as she checks her bags in. At security, Beca walks through the detector a free woman.

* * *

She's on the plane, resting rather uncomfortably between a woman who smelled overwhelmingly like clementines, and a pre-pubescent boy who wouldn't stop staring at her boobs. There wasn't much to do on her phone, and she was stuck on a mix she was doing. Shutting her laptop, she closes her eyes, hoping some inspiration would strike, or maybe even a flicker of drowsiness. She hated plane rides. She hated the smell, the people she was usually seated with, and the heaviness of it all. Suddenly, the sound of someone vomiting a couple of aisles away alerts the cabin, and pretty soon the whole plane reeks of the stench. Groaning with half of the plane's passengers, she brings her knees together and rests a cheek on her left kneecap, looking away from the boy. God, she hated this. Her eyes squeeze shut, eventually lending themselves to slumber.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will be landing in about fifteen minutes." Upon hearing the pilot's voice, Beca straightens in her seat, yawning. "Please fasten your seat belts, and we'll be arriving back in Atlanta shortly."

Atlanta?

She rubs her eyes and checks her phone. It's barely been an hour since she last checked. What could have possibly happened in an hour of sleep? She turns to the woman beside her, choosing to ignore the boy next to her. "Um, miss? So, uh, what's going on?"

The woman looks at her, frowning. "Weather problems in the Northeast. They thought we'd be able to make it before everything struck over, but many of the airports, including Portland's and New York's, have been making emergency cancellations and whatnot. The air traffic is just one giant mess, at the moment." she scoffs, looking out the window. "So now we're forced to go back to Atlanta. This is just outright ridiculous." she snaps, her southern accent thick on her tongue.

"What?! Are we at least getting our money back? Do we have to book another flight or something?"

The woman nods, narrowing her eyes as she gazes at the darkened sky. "It's god damn ridiculous. I was looking forward to seeing my son. He's on Broadway, you know. He's in _Motown_." she brags, obviously proud of her son. "If this damned weather continues, well, I have no idea what I outta do."

"I'm sorry, Miss..."

"My name's Michaela."

Beca nods, clearing her throat. "You can't just get on another plane? There are bound to be other flights available, right?" she reasons. For some reason, instead of displaying dismay toward the situation, there was a part of her that honestly didn't care. It still made her nervous, though. The thought of spending the holidays without her family both relieved her and stressed her out at the same time.

"It depends on the weather and the airports, really. This winter has been a brutal one in the Northeast and Midwest. It could be a couple of days, especially with everyone trying to get home in time for Christmas. It'll be hectic." Michaela sighs.

"Oh." That's all she says before taking her phone from underneath her thigh between her fingers. She texts her parents, telling them the situation. They land safely back in Atlanta, and immediately Beca sees long lines of people waiting at the various kiosks around the building. Just as Michaela said, the airport was buzzing with chaos. She takes her place in line behind Michaela, who was fiddling around in her purse for several items. Beca bites her lips, feeling claustrophobic in such a packed and hectic environment. After an hour waiting, she finally gets to book her next flight, free of charge.

"So there's absolutely no possible way to get to Portland by plane before Christmas?"

The travel agent shakes her head. "The weather really came out of nowhere, and so I'm afraid it's truly not possible. You can try driving, but I most definitely do not recommend it."

She lets this bit of information sink a bit inside her head before speaking. "Alright, then. When's your next flight out to Portland?"

The worker explains the details to the small brunette, telling her precautionary details that could possibly derail traveling. Slightly frustrated, she buys her ticket for the day after Christmas and picks up her phone, first calling each parent to tell them her unfortunate situation, then Jesse, asking for a very embarrassing favor.


End file.
